Of every 5 Afghans, 3 say police take bribes

KABUL (Pajhwok): Police personnel take bribes in broad daylight and are involved in brazen corruption,say 62 percent of Afghans.

But 25 percent of people support police,reveals an online survey on the Facebook page of Pajhwok Afghan News.

The remaining 13 percent have expressed views that are not related to the subject.

Two days back, Pajhwok conducted a survey on whether or not the police personnel took bribes.

About 238 people answered the question, with 147 alleging police were involved in corruption.

Sixty respondents supported the police force and 31 others comments were found irrelevant to the survey question.

Accusationsagainst police

EzatullahHayat says he had a complaint but police told him they were hungry and need something for eating.

He said: “I told them that I have only 200 afs in my pocket and it is for fare. But policetook away that money and I returned empty-handed.

“Then they asked me to come tomorrow but I had no money to pay the taxi fare.So, I walked there on feet for two hours,” he complained.

Hayat did not provide more information about the police districtand the nature of his complaint.

AngarSahak wrote: “My brother had purchased a land plot and he wanted to construct a house on it. Police forcibly took $1,000 from him.”

He also did not provide details about the police personnel and the areawhere his brother was constructing the house.

ZahirAshna said: “They (police) are thieves. But they will definitely cooperate if you pay them money; otherwise they won’t help you.”

AzizullahEtimadisaid: “Eighty percent of policemen are responsible of the current problems. Just look at them in front of the Pakistan embassy, you will see how corrupt they are.”

Earlier, applicants had told Pajhwok that getting Pakistan visastook a long time. But touts could get you a visa in return for $100.

The Ministry of Interior (MoI) fired many policemen tasked with security duty at the Pakistani embassy following complaints from visa applicants.

Police support

Of every four people, one supports police and some say they do not take bribes. Others believe all policemen do not take bribes because there are good and bad people everywhere.

AsifNoori wrote: “there are good and bad cops. By the way, we are proud of them; they are our heroes, working day and night to maintain security.”

GhulamNabiShuja said: “Our police officials are very good and they do not take bribe and some people are spreading rumours.”

Nabi said he had taken a patient to the Mirwais Hospital in Kandahar City, where he lost his way at night.

He asked police for help and they took him to the hospital without asking for money.

NasratRahimi, spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, questioned the claim that 62 percent of people were unhappy with police.

He rejected the high percentage of disgruntled individuals as a rumour.

“We have set up an internal security department to investigate and follow corrupt individuals in the security sector and elsewhere,” he added.

He urged people to lodge complaints with them in case they saw bribery so that action could be taken against the corruption-tainted individuals.

sa/mud