Afghan police training: "Don't shoot", then eat

By Luke Baker

GHULAM ALI, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Sergeant Chris Padron, a thick-set former cop from Texas turned police trainer in Afghanistan, fixed the group of earnest Afghan policemen with a hard stare and delivered his next question.

"So, if a man beats up on another man, are you going to go and shoot him?"

The interpreter translated into Dari as the group of policemen, sitting uncomfortably on the lower level of a pair of bunkbeds in the station dormitory, shifted their eyes from Padron to the translator, trying hard to concentrate.

"No," they replied after a moment's thought, almost in unison, some breaking into smiles, others looking like they'd had to give the question some serious consideration first.

"Good," said Padron firmly. "Because that would be an inappropriate response."

The policemen, some of whom have had a decade on the job, were clearly enjoying their training in 'community policing', as the one-hour session, complete with colored handouts, was called, but they also had half a mind on lunch.

As Padron was explaining the finer points of arresting and questioning suspects, one of the trainees took a call on his mobile phone and promptly got up and walked out.

Two others, holding hands in the way Afghan men often do when discussing intimate issues, joked about how little they were being paid and began quizzing Padron about his salary.