| Armed Police Force, Nepal सशस्त्र प्रहरी बल, नेपाल | |
|---|---|
 Emblem of the Armed Police Force | |
| Abbreviation | APF |
| Motto | शान्ति सुरक्षा प्रतिबद्धता PEACE SECURITY COMMITMENT |
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | 2001 |
| Employees | 37,500 |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Federal agency | Nepal |
| Operations jurisdiction | Nepal |
| Governing body | Ministry of Home Affairs |
| Constituting instrument |
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| General nature | |
| Specialist jurisdictions |
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| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | Kathmandu, Nepal |
| Agency executive | |
| Child agency | |
| Website | |
| www | |
The NepaliArmed Police Force (APF) is aParamilitaryland force tasked withcounter-insurgency and border security operations inNepal. It functions as a semi-military wing, and occupies a sort of dual role as both military and law enforcement. Service is voluntary and the minimum age for enlistment is 18 years. Initially founded with a roster of 15,000 police and military personnel, the Armed Police Force was projected to have a corps of 77,117 at its peak. In 2025,Inspector General, APFRaju Aryal claimed the number of sanctioned officers to be above 37,000 and urged to increase it to 60,000 in future inorder to meet all requirements after increase in border outposts and changing political environment.
In February 1996, the ideologicallyMaoist Communist Party of Nepal operating as the United People's Front of Nepal initiated what was then dubbed the "People's War". Ensuing armed resistance and criminal activity escalating from the conflict motivatedKing Gyanendra to consider amassing an independent police force. Subsequently, the Armed Police Force was founded on 24 October 2001.Krishna Mohan Shrestha of the Nepal Police (then serving as Additional Inspector General of Police) was its first chief.
The current command and control organization of Nepal's army is outlined along the protocol of the 1990 Constitution and its interim constitution. Its standing Inspector General is the Chief of Armed Police Force, equivalent in rank to a three-starLieutenant General of theNepal Army.
The fundamental ethos of the Armed Police Force (APF) isPeace, Security, Commitment.
The Armed Police Force, Nepal was founded in 2001 to help Nepal's army and civil police force counter a growingMaoist insurgency in Nepal. It was fundamentally aparamilitary organization and mostly engaged in counterinsurgency operations. In August 2003, five constables of the Armed Police Force were killed in a military operation in theRamechapp District of Nepal which killed 39 Maoist rebels.[1] In January 2003, the head of the Armed Police Force Inspector GeneralKrishna Mohan Shrestha was shot and killed by Maoist insurgents while taking his morning walk alongside his bodyguard and wife, who were also killed.[2]
| S.N. | Department | Commander |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Border Security Department | AIG Ganesh bahadur Thadamagar |
| 2 | Operation Department | AIG Narayan Dutta Paudel |
| 3 | Human Resource Department | AIG Banshi Raj Dahal |
In November 2001, the Nepalese armed forces began military operations against theCommunist Party of Nepal (Maoist). And Armed Police Force was involved in this operations with the birth of its organization along withNepal Army.
Allegations of war crimes and human rights abuses have been leveled by the media against members of the Armed Police Force. However, this is generally considered very small compared to the atrocities committed by the thenMaoist insurgents.Truth and Reconciliation Commission(Nepal) under political pressure of the governing party has failed to take actions against the humans rights abusers on either sides.
The 14 mandates assigned by the APF, Nepal Act 2072 is simply categorized into a concept called BIRD. The 'BIRD' Concept simplify the major roles as B for Border Security, I for Internal Security, R for Revenue Support(formerly Riot Management) and D for Disaster management. It was popularized by IGP Raju Aryal.
The Armed Police Force contributes members to peacekeeping efforts under the flag of the United Nations, for global peace and security as a whole.
Since October 2002, the Armed Police Force has made contributions to various UN peacekeeping missions like UNGCI (Iraq), UNMIK (Kosovo), UNMIL (Liberia), UNAMSIL (Sierra Leone), MINUSTAH (Haiti), UNMIS & UNMISS (Sudan), UNAMID (Darfur), UNSOM (Somalia), UNMIT (East Timor), and UNFICYP (Cyprus) as UN police advisers, instructors, monitors, and patrol contingents.
6582 APF personnel had already participated as a member of an FPU contingent, and 785 personnel have served as Individual Police Officers (IPOs) up until August 2018 on United Nations peacekeeping missions.
| Name | Weapon | Type | Caliber | Origin | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Handguns | |||||
| Browning Hi-Power |  | Semi-automatic pistol | 7.65×21mm Parabellum |  Belgium, United States | |
| Beretta 92 | .jpg) | Semi-automatic pistol | 9×19mm Parabellum |  Italy | reported in Nepal security inventories |
| Submachine gun | |||||
| Heckler & Koch MP5 |  | Submachine gun | 9×19mm Parabellum |  West Germany | used by special units / law-enforcement detachments |
| Sterling submachine gun |  | Submachine gun | 9×19mm Parabellum |  United Kingdom | |
| Assault Rifle/ Battle Rifles | |||||
| L1A1 |  | Semi-automatic rifle | 7.62×51mm NATO | Belgium,United Kingdom, Australia, Canada | [3] |
| M16 |  | Assault rifle | 5.56×45mm NATO | United States | Used by Special Unit[4][5] |
| FN FAL |  | Battle rifle | 7.62×51mm NATO | Belgium | [6][7] |
| INSAS rifle |  | Light machine gun | 5.56×45mm NATO |  India | [8][9] |
| FN MAG |  | General-purpose machine gun | 7.62×51mm NATO | Belgium | used on vehicles / fixed posts[10] |
| Constitution | |
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| Executive | |
| Legislative | |
| Judiciary | |
