Afghani police recruits

( Ton Koene / February 10, 2012 )

Ton Koene of the Netherlands has won the second prize Portraits Stories with the series "Recruits at police training center". New Afghan police recruits at the German police training center in Kunduz, Afghanistan. All are illiterate; they are farmer sons from rural areas who never had any education and are joining the police for economic reasons. Their loyalty to the government is thin. A police officer earns around $170 per month, and due to harsh living and working conditions and as well the high risk for being killed by the Taliban, many decide to leave the police force before their contract ends.