Afghanistan Today - Ladies of the law

Ladies of the law

It may firmly appear to be a man's world in Afghanistan, but the country's 1,300 female police officers are holding their own alongside their male colleagues. Afghanistan Today's Noorullah Bayaz went to see them in action at the Afghan National Police (ANP) training school in Herat.

by Noorullah Baraz , Herat , 12.7.2012

Female trainees at the Afghan National Police (ANP) academy in Herat march alongside their male colleagues.

According the Interior Ministry, there are 1,300 female officers in the ANP.

A senior officer trains a new recruit in 'stop and search' methods.

The government wants to boost the number of women in the police force to 5,000 by 2014.

Female cadets attend a lecture.

It is hoped that more women in the ranks will help reduce domestic violence and crimes against women. The drive is particularly welcome in the Family Response Unit, where men often cannot enter a household or talk to victims for cultural reasons.

Policewomen must be able to handle the same weapons as their male colleagues. Here, recruits train with Hungarian-made AMD-65 5.56mm automatic rifles.

“If more policewomen in particular enact law enforcement, we will witness a dramatic reduction in violence against women,” says Major-General Aziza Nazari, one of Afghanistan's highest ranking female officers.