Canada finances TV cop show in Afghanistan
Published On Tue Nov 23 2010 Allan Woods Ottawa Bureau
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Canada is underwriting a propaganda campaign to transform the image of the notorious Afghan national police in the hearts and minds of the country’s television viewers.
The half-million dollar initiative casts Lt. Humayun as a dedicated, incorruptible Afghan National Police officer trolling the streets of Kabul to settle tribal disputes and put drug traffickers and warlords out of business. The popular Saturday evening television series, Separ, is sort of an Afghan version of Paul Gross’s Mountie in the popular Due South series.
The two dozen planned episodes of the show are intended to educate the country on the roles and duties of the Afghan National Police (ANP), a force that is hardly better trusted than thugs and terrorists it is meant to be targetting.
“This is about the promotion and progress of the police in Afghanistan, the ANP,” said Abdul Salam Abid, a director with Kabul’s Awaz Communications, which has already produced seven episodes of the show. “This is to show that the police are in the service of the people.”
The Canadian International Development Agency kicked in $400,511 to finance the programming, according to government records. The European Union contributed about $150,000.
The national police force has rarely been perceived as being in the service of its citizenry. The problem is that police officers have been in such demand that, until recently, they were being recruited, handed a uniform and gun and sent out the door, expected to learn their skills on the job in a war zone.
Many fled, either because of poor pay or the dangerous work conditions. Those who stayed have become notorious for their often casual regard for the laws.
“The vast majority of the police did not know the law they were responsible to enforce, having been brought into the ANP under the ‘Recruit and Assign’ model without proper training,” said a report released this month by the NATO Training Mission in Afghanistan. “Some policemen abused the Afghan population and engaged in criminal activity.”
More on link
Published On Tue Nov 23 2010 Allan Woods Ottawa Bureau
Article Link
Canada is underwriting a propaganda campaign to transform the image of the notorious Afghan national police in the hearts and minds of the country’s television viewers.
The half-million dollar initiative casts Lt. Humayun as a dedicated, incorruptible Afghan National Police officer trolling the streets of Kabul to settle tribal disputes and put drug traffickers and warlords out of business. The popular Saturday evening television series, Separ, is sort of an Afghan version of Paul Gross’s Mountie in the popular Due South series.
The two dozen planned episodes of the show are intended to educate the country on the roles and duties of the Afghan National Police (ANP), a force that is hardly better trusted than thugs and terrorists it is meant to be targetting.
“This is about the promotion and progress of the police in Afghanistan, the ANP,” said Abdul Salam Abid, a director with Kabul’s Awaz Communications, which has already produced seven episodes of the show. “This is to show that the police are in the service of the people.”
The Canadian International Development Agency kicked in $400,511 to finance the programming, according to government records. The European Union contributed about $150,000.
The national police force has rarely been perceived as being in the service of its citizenry. The problem is that police officers have been in such demand that, until recently, they were being recruited, handed a uniform and gun and sent out the door, expected to learn their skills on the job in a war zone.
Many fled, either because of poor pay or the dangerous work conditions. Those who stayed have become notorious for their often casual regard for the laws.
“The vast majority of the police did not know the law they were responsible to enforce, having been brought into the ANP under the ‘Recruit and Assign’ model without proper training,” said a report released this month by the NATO Training Mission in Afghanistan. “Some policemen abused the Afghan population and engaged in criminal activity.”
More on link
