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Real Afghan female police officers getting training. Photo: DPA

Germany funds Afghan TV cop show

Published: 21 Dec 11 14:55 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/national/20111221-39645.html

The German government is bankrolling a new TV cop show in Afghanistan in the hope of helping improve the image of the country's much-maligned police force.

According to the website of news magazine Der Spiegel, the series will attempt to portray Afghan police in a new light: As courageous, smart and honest, in contrast to their current widespread perceptions of them as being corrupt and ineffective.

And in a country where women have traditionally been marginalised, it also will show investigators confronting crimes against women and demonstrating that they can serve as police officers.

One of the central figures of the new show, called “Commissioner Amanullah,” is Saba Sahar, a 37-year-old who is a well-known actress but also a real-life policewoman, according to Der Spiegel.

Currently there are only about 1,400 policewomen in Afghanistan’s 125,000-strong police force.

The show, which is slated to go on the air beginning next April is being sponsored in part by the European Union Police Mission in Afghanistan, which has been the focus of Germany’s efforts to help professionalise Afghan police forces.

The German Foreign Ministry is the main funder of the project, which is relatively cheap compared to similar shows in the US or Europe – it will cost about $14,000 (€10,600) per episode.

The Local/mdm

What do you think? Leave your comment below.


Your comments about this article:

15:31 December 21, 2011 by catjones
Lipstick on a pig. The german government should spend the money training german police to do their job.
15:48 December 21, 2011 by storymann
I hope she does not fire the pistol in that position, she could smudge that lipstick.
16:54 December 21, 2011 by derExDeutsche
Whats good for the goose is good for the gander.

the Foreign Ministry now has a Propaganda Channel Afghanistan. Germans enjoy their channels so well, so why not in Afghanistan, too? I wonder if AOL/TimeWarner/Puffington Post will be joining them next?
19:37 December 21, 2011 by Landmine
The TV crew is going to be there a LONG time trying to find anything good to film about from the Afghan police!!!
10:49 December 22, 2011 by n230099
Agree w/storyman above. She's going to get a facefull of steel if she pulls that trigger.
22:47 December 23, 2011 by strahlungsamt
At the end of each episode, Officer Durka Durka Mohammed Jihad gets a gift of a goat so Ali Akhbar can continue growing opium and manufacturing roadside bombs for Allah.
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