POLICE inspector Tom Cleary won't be spending Christmas in the South Hams with his family. Instead, he will spend the festive season training Afghan police recruits at Lashkar Gah.

Insp Cleary, who lives in the Kingsbridge area with his wife and two sons, is currently overseeing training given to Afghans who have applied to join the police.

This week, Insp Cleary said that unfortunately this means he will not be home for Christmas adding: 'I am here for a minimum of six months and will, hopefully, get home for two weeks in this time.

'Unfortunately, I won't be home for Christmas – but I'm sure I will have a late celebration around March when I do get home on leave.

'Santa will have to do some overtime.'

'Although it is obviously very difficult for my wife and my two boys when I am away, I try to contact them as often as possible although this in itself is a challenge as the communications here are not the greatest.

'I have also arranged a trip to Disneyland for us when I return, which I am positive our boys will love.'

In 2011 Insp Cleary was selected for a detachment to Afgh-anistan and since the start of November has been employed as head police trainer and training manager at the Lashkar Gah police training centre in Helmand Province.

His role is to oversee all training of new Afghan police recruits and existing police officers.

To help him, he has a team of officers from the UK, Denmark and the US.

Insp Cleary said: 'The job here is both challenging and rewarding.

'Training police officers in Afghanistan is completely different from training in the UK.

'As the literacy levels are very low here we have to have a very different approach to ensure they understand the subject matter.

'Although the students are adults you must also remember many of them have not been in an educational environment before.

'But most are very eager to learn and teaching them is extremely rewarding.

'You can act as a positive role model and you can also be a counsellor, doctor, adviser, official, and several other 'professions' in one day's work.

'The end result of this effort will be that the people of Afghanistan have a functioning and efficient national police force which is key to the country's future.It gives me an immense feeling of pride to have played a role in their training and to know that by contributing to the effective rule of law these trainees will be vital to ensuring Afghanistan's long-term stability and security.

'Certainly the perception of the Afghan people is that districts with officers that have been through our training programme have a better standard of police officer.

'That public confidence is vital for us in achieving what we are trying to accomplish here.'

Insp Cleary explained that as a Forward Operating Base his living conditions are very basic, but comfortable and are improving daily.

He said: 'We have a canteen and a well stocked gym but that's about it. We have no shop or facility to buy anything so we rely on family and friends sending supplies via the British Forces Post Office.'

Insp Cleary joined The MoD police in 1996 after nine years in the Royal Navy.