Kabul, Afghanistan, 5 February 2012. “Building Bridges”: the title of the conference on Democratic Policing organised by the European Police Mission in Afghanistan (EUPOL), Kabul City Police and Organisation for Fast Relief and Development came with a vision. The vision turned into reality: 120 community leaders, senior police officers and civil society representatives started a dialogue and built bridges.“The fact that we are discussing issues face-to-face with our police district commanders is excellent. This dialogue must continue. The police cannot be left alone without the support of the people," said Mr Anwari, one of the key community leaders.

Kabul, Afghanistan, 31 January, 2012: The European Police Mission EUPOL Afghanistan welcomes the results of the third survey on the perception of the Afghan National Police commissioned by UNDP and the Law and Order Trust Fund for Afghanistan (LOTFA). “The survey shows that the ANP is developing into a more professional and more capable police force that the Afghan people can trust. The efforts of the Afghan Ministry of Interior, together with EUPOL and its international partners are eventually paying off”, says Jukka Savolainen, EUPOL’s Head of Mission.

Kabul, 22 January, 2012: “Detective Amanullah, all members of a family have been killed. Get ready immediately: we have to investigate the case”. The call from the crime scene investigation unit in Kabul reaches police detective Amanullah in his modest middle-class home at the outskirts of the city where he lives with his mother and sister. He jumps into his car and meets his team at the crime scene, closely followed by TV cameras. The blood and the murder, for once, are fake. In just 24 minutes of air time the police detective solves the case and brings the killer to justice. And this is just the first episode, to be continued.

Kabul - Afghanistan: “Stop the vehicle! Get out of the car immediately,” demands a woman officer. The driver of the vehicle steps out of the car and is directed to the side of the road. A group of police women surround the suspect and watch after her closely. As an officer finds a suicide vest the suspect is wearing underneath her jacket, things get even more intense. How to unarm the suspect? Everything feels very real, though the arms are plastic and the events take place in the courtyard of a police station in central Kabul.

Kabul, 14 December, 2011: The TV project “Commissar Amanullah” about the Afghan National Police (ANP) Empowerment has been signed between the Saba Film Production Company (SFPC) and the German implementation partner GIZ.  The director Saba Sahar, Jochen Salow from the GIZ and EUPOL Head of Mission Jukka Savolainen attended the signing ceremony at the EUPOL HQ in Kabul. According to the contract 20 episodes for a TV series to be broadcasted on Afghan National TV  (RTA) will be produced by SFPC.  The duration of each episode is 24 minutes.

Kabul, 13-14 December, 2011: The Kabul University’s Independent National Legal Training Center has been the host for the Legal Aid conference organised and funded by the European Union Police Mission in Afghanistan. The conference drew on the participation of a broad range of individuals  working  in the Legal Aid Department  (LAD) of the Ministry of Justice as well as in LAD’s provincial offices. The conference tried to contribute to an overall better understanding of the role played by the Legal Aid Department of the Ministry of Justice under the Legal Aid Regulation.

Kabul, 26 November, 2011: The commencement of the construction process for a permanent college staff facility for the Afghan Ministry of Interior has been marked by a cornerstone ceremony in the presence of the Minister of Interior, Bismullah Khan, the EU Special Representative and Head of the EU Delegation, Ambassador Vygaudas Ušackas, the Head of the EUPOL Mission, Mr. Jukka Savolainen and representatives from the IOM.

Kabul, 2 November, 2011: The EUPOL Head of Mission BG Jukka Savolainen awarded the Deputy Commander NTM-A, Dr. Jack Kem, as well as the Afghan Deputy Interior Minister General Rahman Rahman in a EUPOL Medal Ceremony. BG Savolainen praised Dr. Kem and General Rahman for their outstanding contribution to the growth and training of the Afghan National Police, as well as for fostering a strong relationship between NTM-A, Afghan Ministry of Interior and EUPOL Afghanistan.

Kabul, 18 October, 2011: The EUSR Vygaudas Usackas and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) today signed a contract worth EUR 15 million to build a Police Staff College in Kabul and a Regional Police Training Centre, with a special section for women, in Bamyan. The assistance is provided to the Government of Afghanistan and will see the IOM taking  the lead on the construction. EUPOL will be the project partner for capacity building activities under this project.

Kabul, 17 October, 2011: EU Deputy Secretary General of the External Action Service, Maciej Popovski at the NTM-A headquarters in Kabul. Left to right: MG James Mallory (Deputy Commanding General of NTM-A), Vygaudas Usackas (EU Special Representative-Afghanistan), Dr. Jack Kem, Maciej Popovski (EU Deputy Secretary General of the External Action Service), MG Walter Golden (Deputy Commanding General of NTM-A), Ken Deane (CPCC Chief of Staff), BG Christian Dupouy and BG Jukka Savolainen (EUPOL Head of Mission).