Thursday, February 12, 2009

Gurkhas train Afghan police


Soldiers of 2nd Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles (2 RGR) have been helping provide Afghan National Police recruits with the basic skills they will need to provide effective security in their country.

A professional police force is critical if Afghanistan is to overcome an increasing crime rate, the drug trade and rampant corruption, but all this requires training, mentorship and, above all, time.

At a police post on the outskirts of Lashkar Gah, the capital city of Helmand province, the Gurkhas have been helping their students acquire basic skills in first aid, patrolling and weapon-handling before they start an intensive eight-week police training course in places like Harat and Kandahar.

At the end of the eight weeks, they will return to Helmand to put their training into practice.

Corporal Santosh Rai, 2 RGR, is one of the weapons training instructors:

"They need to be taught from basics," he said. "They're not used to [handling weapons], they just know how to operate the trigger - that's it. So we need to teach them. The main thing is safety - how to handle the weapon safely."

Read the full article on the MOD website here



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