Kabul, July 2012. Armed burglary, armed bank robbery, intentional arson, suicide and murder: these are the cases to be investigated by the students in the brand new course "Basic Crime Scene Examination Course" which was the result of an intensive collaboration between Crime Investigation Department (CID) Trainer Harald Koehrsen from EUPOL Mazar-e-Sharif and Peter Barendbrecht, Project Manaer of EUPOL's Anti-Crime Department. During the exercises the students learn topics such as: Actions that the first officer and the crime scene examiner should take at a crime scene, initial report writing, exhibits handling, forensic awareness, and interviewing victims and witnesses.

Faizabad, July 2012. In order to raise the standards and professionalising police behaviour of senior strategic leaders of the Afghan National Police (ANP), EUPOL's staff members from the Rule of law - Anti-corruption Team have been undertaking a series of Anti-Corruption and Code of Conduct training courses throughout Afghanistan. To date over 300 staff have been trained during 2012 by officers from the Anti-Corruption Team at locations including Lashkagar, Pul-e-khumri, Bamyan, Mainanah and most recently in Faizabad.

Kabul, July 2012. "Partnership and planning is key to progress": this was the theme of the Planning and Education Directors Seminar at EUPOL Headquarters in July hosted by EUPOL Training Component. The seminar was organized by Superintendent David Thomson (Crime Management College) and Sara Norrman (Chief Mentor/Advisor - Rule of Law), EUPOL Training Component. The participants were all senior officers of the Afgan National Police situated in key planning positions within the Ministry of Interior, Police Staff College, Crime Management College and the Afghan Border Police, who together with their EUPOL colleagues from the Training and Police Components discussed and agreed actions on how to work even better together after Ramadan.

Kabul, July 2012. Many in Afghanistan are scared not necessarily of the insurgents or suicide bombings – but of kidnap for ransom. “Kabul police have arrested four men in association with the ransom-seeking kidnap of a nine-year-old boy 12 days ago, which ended in his murder. The kidnappers had taken the boy while he was on his way home from school about 12 days ago, and demanded his family pay 100,000 US Dollars.” This is just one out of many crime stories making the headlines in Afghan media.

Kabul, July 2012. Ahmad Sharifi, a forty-year old father of four in charge of maintenance at a public school, was accused by a teacher for whom he occasionally worked of stealing her jewelry. He was immediately arrested and allegedly ill-treated by the police, charged with theft and subsequently sentenced to three years’ imprisonment. During the proceedings no defense lawyer to represent him could be found. It was only after the court handed down the sentence that he was assigned defence counsel and events took a turn for the better.

Kabul, June 2012. “I’ll be serving for Afghanistan!”, shouts proudly one of the students after receiving his course certificate in crime management. He makes his strong commitment for his country crystal-clear to every one in the room. The graduation ceremony for him and 35 other police officers marked also a huge milestone for EUPOL Afghanistan: at the same occasion on 28 June EUPOL’s Crime Management College was officially opened at the Central Training Center (CTC).