Published: Wednesday, 14th October, 2009 2:19pm

Female police officers in Afghanistan told "This ain't no Ayr gun"

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An MOD police officer from Ayrshire is training some extraordinary women to become gun-carrying police officers in the Afghan National Police.

Isabella McManus has been in the MOD police for 22 years but decided to give herself a new challenge and volunteered to serve in Helmand, Southern Afghanistan, as a mentor and advisor to the local police force. Five months later she has single-handedly doubled the number of women who want to become police officers in the province.

She is the first British female police officer in Helmand. Speaking from Afghanistan she said: "It wasn't my job to start mentoring the women specifically but they struck a chord with me. They were ignored entirely at the Police Headquarters and it wasn't right. They needed a uniform giving them some status and they needed training and equipment. I've fought those battles for them every step of the way and we are getting somewhere. The women are empowered and it's great to see."

Isabella is no stranger to working in foreign countries and dealing with unfamiliar cultural issues. She served in Kosovo and Iraq and has learnt from her experiences there:

"I found the quickest and best way to interact with the new recruits was to smile. Being open and honest is something that they value. Many of the women have been down-trodden but speaking with them as an equal really helps put them at ease.

"We do a mixture of classroom lessons and training on the firing ranges. Fire arms training during the summer was really testing. The women are real crack-shots but working in 50 degree heat was very testing. My skin has never been exposed to harsh sunshine!

"For lessons, we sit on the floor and talk about what they have been doing. Then it is down to business."

Asked why she had taken on the role, when others would be quite happy to carry on their day job at home, Isabella replied: "Someone needed to develop them and champion their cause. I have 22 years of experience in the service and I am only too happy to pass this knowledge on to them. I love to help people and that is why I am so passionate about getting the right results for these women."

Conditions for female police in Helmand are difficult however with the guidance and support of Isabella the women are achieving truly extraordinary things.

"They face the same dangers as their male counterparts and have earned a justified reputation for their bravery. Many have had to arrest armed suspects and one lady has stopped two suicide bombers while policing public events. In addition to facing these dangers, the female officers must contend with the views of some in Helmand's conservative society, who criticise them for having jobs."

Today, four of the female officers started a two-month police training course in Kabul. This is the first time that women from the province have attended the course. To wish them luck Isabella held a farewell lunch and gave them each a pair of trainers to wear during the training. She knows that these women are risking their lives to make Helmand safer for the Afghan people and, in particular, women who are often subject to domestic abuse and assaults.

"I know that they make a difference. In the neighbourhood where many of them live there are Taliban. I'm immensely proud of what of what they have achieved so for. They are fantastically brave women and play a vital role in the security of the province."

The women have come a long way since Isabella began to champion their cause. She is an extremely modest person and will stop at nothing to ensure that her new recruits get the kit and support they need. It is thanks to her persistence that the new recruits are soon to get their first uniform

"I sat down with the women and we designed something that would be culturally acceptable but would allow them to wear their rank with pride. They are starting to feel valued and the number of recruits has almost doubled since I've been here.

"It's an incremental process but in a Province where women are often expected to be seen and not heard, what these women are doing is truly amazing. They are literally making history. They are few in number but they are paving the way for Helmandi women to have a very different future."

Isabella is going to take some well deserved leave in December and go on holiday to New York.