Switzerland is helping to ensure Afghanistan's police force gets paid correctly and on time in order to prevent corruption. A programme to ensure gender equity in the police force with the aim, amongst other things, of reducing domestic violence in the country is another focus area.
Moves to rebuild the police come at a testing time for where violence has continually surged in recent months and years, leaving thousands of people dead. As part of international efforts to boost law and order, contributes to the reform of the Afghan security sector. Its engagement falls under the Law and Order Trust Fund for Afghanistan (LOTFA), which was set up by the United Nations in May 2002 together with the Afghan Ministry of Finance as the executing agency and the Ministry of Interior as the implementing entity. The UN Development Programme (UNDP) was entrusted with the management of the respective funds.

The main purpose of the LOTFA is to finance and support the formation of the renewed national police forces in . The priorities to be addressed are the nationwide payment of police staff salaries, the acquisition of non-lethal equipment, institutional rehabilitation and the development of the required capacity. Since 2003, Switzerland has contributed more than CHF 5 million.

Electronic payroll system

The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) funded the establishment and installation of a nationwide electronic payroll system for the Afghan National Police. This initiative represents a big technological leap forward for 's fledgling police force, which was resurrected in 2003. In the past, the Ministry of Interior processed salary payments and personal data by hand, often leading to lengthy delays in processing payments for those in the provinces and providing fertile ground for corruption.

Through the establishment of an internationally acceptable computerised payroll system, financial transactions, including police staffing and other expenditures, can now be tracked. The database includes information on the police staff list, payroll and expenditu-res (both salary related and non-salary related) of all the police units in all provinces. This allows for access to any type of expenditure to be incurred by the police forces at provincial and national levels.

Besides preventing corruption, the introduction of the new payroll system has a positive impact on the overall working capacity and motivation of police staff as well as the maintenance of security throughout the country. Moreover, it eventually serves as a central financial management tool for the whole Ministry of Interior, particularly benefiting its Finance, Logistics, Personnel and Budget sections.

Domestic violence
Another focus of Swiss funding to LOTFA is to increase the number of policewomen. Up until now more than 1200 female officers have been taken on in the police corps. SDC and UNDP are together financing a project that aims at the promotion of equality and equity within the Afghan National Police.
Women traditionally had a very low representation within the Afghan police. Domestic violence against women is widespread – and in most cases not investigated nor prosecuted. Up to now, female victims had very few possibilities to report crimes, due to the fact that police stations are entirely managed by men.

In this respect, Switzerland is contributing to the improvement of the situation through the recruitment of policewomen, the introduction of “family response units” at certain police stations and provincial headquarters, as well as the provision of gender-awareness training to police personnel. Experience shows that through recruiting, training and deploying policewomen, violence against women can be reduced and a contribution made to security and peace building in Afghanistan.

With the Swiss contribution to the Law and Order Trust Fund (LOTFA) the following objectives are being pursued:

• policewomen are being enabled and empowered to deliver policing services in communities;
  
• more women in policing experience higher professional and social status;
  
• professionalism, effectiveness and integrity is being increased in the Afghan National Police;;
  
  
• corresponding training and awareness programmes on the topics of equality and violence against women are being expanded for all police;
  
• an equality unit was established at the Ministry of Interior in order to mainstream the topics of equality and equity.

Besides these achievements, SDC contributes to the extension of family response units to Kabul and five provinces. With the establishment of these units at police posts, women not only have official contact points to report domestic violence to the police but also to places of refuge and protection.