socialmedian: Afghan police: Corrupt and brutal, and still not fit for purpose

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Afghan police: Corrupt and brutal, and still not fit for purpose

Source: The Guardian

Nov 06, 2009

Summary

With his 9mm Smith and Wesson at the ready, the Afghan police chief strode through the bazaar of rickety wooden stalls, grabbed a hapless shopkeeper by the hair and slapped him across the face three times. One officer hit a man in the knees with his rifle butt.

This was an afternoon raid on shops suspected of selling illegal radio equipment used in the making of IEDs (improvised explosive device). Moments later the contents of all the shops was thrown outside in a large heap of "evidence". As the pile grew it was impossible to tell which items had come from which shop.

Some shopkeepers may have been innocent, others guilty of selling equipment to the Taliban. But the police didn't seem too bothered. They simply arrested everyone. Welcome to policing Kabul-style. Brutal, violent and where truth doesn't necessarily matter.

Last year, I spent a month observing the workings of the Afghan police force for a BBC documentary. I followed their raids and went on the beat with them.

Accused of kidnappings, murders, rapes, extortion and trafficking, and now, the murder of f

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