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  • Youngsters on the streets of the impoverished neighbourhood of Heideveld, Cape Town, RSA. Francis, a woman living in the area from 40 years is on the back; she has witnessed and has been threatened by the wave of violence affecting these communities. Her grandson, who was part of a gang in the area has been shot three times in front of her house by the common drive-by-shootings carried on by rival gangs in the neighbouring areas. Being in so close contact with members of gangs and criminal activity, youngsters are those who are most tempted to join a gang, which most of the time is also probably composed by friends and others living in the community. Making errands or favours to gang members is also common to the younger kids in these areas which are lured by the apparently easy gains deriving from the activity.  With extremely high rates of unemployment, poor resources and too little authority control, ghettos as Heideveld are the best places for gangs to grow in activity and businesses. Targeting mostly young people from their area to carry on the 'dirty job', gangs in the Western Cape, and South Africa are an endemic problem in continuous increase in the years after the radical apartheid governmental system. 'Coloured' communities have lost almost all their help from a government that now is concentrated on empowering black communities instead. Segregated into ghettos and without state grants or development activities, people in these communities are sometimes forced to join a gang or dealing drugs also to provide for their own family. Young gangster are also used for the worst crimes by the fact that, being still under 18 years old, they would face shorter sentences if caught. Drug abuse between kids as young as 12 is not uncommon, especially crystal meth, mandrax and marijuana.
    Marvin_Gangster_Redemption_14.JPG
  • Elisabeth, 62, a woman living in the area of Heideveld, Cape Town, RSA, since about 40 years is scared to go out even during the day because of street gun-fight. She runs a little vegetable shop with her husband, Thomas, 64, in their house. She is portrayed while behind the gate of her house in Heideveld. They acknowledge the fact that thanks to the large police station not far from their house thing are slowly getting better, but also that law enforcement is probably not the right long-term way to curb crime, gangs and drug addiction. They favour development and education for the kids but till now the government of South Africa has promoted a effectual policy towards the area of Heideveld. Police incapacity to control the gang problem has also led to the increase of vigilante groups activity, people that feeling threatened to live in their own community has engaged a fight to the gangs on their own, often creating more hatred and dissent. With extremely high rates of unemployment, poor resources and too little authority control, ghettos as Heideveld are the best places for gangs to grow in activity and businesses. Targeting mostly young people from their area to carry on the 'dirty job', gangs in the Western Cape, and South Africa are an endemic problem in continuous increase in the years after the radical apartheid governmental system. 'Coloured' communities have lost almost all their help from a government that now is concentrated on empowering black communities instead. Segregated into ghettos and without state grants or development activities, people in these community are sometimes forced to join a gang or dealing drugs also to provide for their own family.
    Marvin_Gangster_Redemption_17.JPG
  • Youngsters on the streets of the impoverished neighbourhood of Heideveld, Cape Town, RSA. Here in front of their house. Being in so close contact with members of gangs and criminal activity, youngsters are those who are most tempted to join a gang, which most of the time is also probably composed by friends and others living in the community. Making errands or favours to gang members is also common to the younger kids in these areas which are lured by the apparently easy gains deriving from the activity.  With extremely high rates of unemployment, poor resources and too little authority control, ghettos as Heideveld are the best places for gangs to grow in activity and businesses. Targeting mostly young people from their area to carry on the 'dirty job', gangs in the Western Cape, and South Africa are an endemic problem in continuous increase in the years after the radical apartheid governmental system. 'Coloured' communities have lost almost all their help from a government that now is concentrated on empowering black communities instead. Segregated into ghettos and without state grants or development activities, people in these communities are sometimes forced to join a gang or dealing drugs also to provide for their own family. Young gangster are also used for the worst crimes by the fact that, being still under 18 years old, they would face shorter sentences if caught. Drug abuse between kids as young as 12 is not uncommon, especially crystal meth, mandrax and marijuana.
    Marvin_Gangster_Redemption_08.JPG
  • Youngsters on the streets of the impoverished neighbourhood of Heideveld, Cape Town, RSA. Here in front of their house. (Marvin in the middle and former gangster Fuad on the right). Being in so close contact with members of gangs and criminal activity, youngsters are those who are most tempted to join a gang, which most of the time is also probably composed by friends and others living in the community. Making errands or favours to gang members is also common to the younger kids (?wannabes?) in these areas which are lured by the apparently easy gains deriving from the activity.  With extremely high rates of unemployment, poor resources and too little authority control, ghettos as Heideveld are the best places for gangs to grow in activity and businesses. Targeting mostly young people from their area to carry on the ?dirty job?, gangs in the Western Cape, and South Africa are an endemic problem in continuous increase in the years after the radical apartheid governmental system. ?Coloured? communities have lost almost all their help from a government that now is concentrated on empowering black communities instead. Segregated into ghettos and without state grants or development activities, people in these communities are sometimes forced to join a gang or dealing drugs also to provide for their own family. Young gangster are also used for the worst crimes by the fact that, being still under 18 years old, they would face shorter sentences if caught. Drug abuse between kids as young as 12 is not uncommon, especially crystal meth, mandrax and marijuana.
    Marvin_Gangster_Redemption_04.JPG
  • Youngsters exposing his 'East Coast Gang' tattoo on the streets of the impoverished neighbourhood of Heideveld, Cape Town, RSA. Membership to a gang most of the times imply having their tattoo marked on the body, using hand signs and speaking particular slang, in accordance with the area and the different gang, apart from carrying on criminal activities and fight with rivals. Innocent people get killed every year by gangsters believing them to be part of rival gangs because of the language just learnt on the streets.
    Marvin_Gangster_Redemption_13.jpg
  • Youngsters exposing their tattoos ('STK Gang' and 'NOLA') on the streets of the impoverished neighbourhood of Heideveld, Cape Town, RSA. Membership to a gang most of the times imply having their tattoo marked on the body, using hand signs and speaking particular slang, in accordance with the area and the different gang, apart from carrying on criminal activities and fight with rivals. Innocent people get killed every year by gangsters believing them to be part of rival gangs because of the language just learnt on the streets.
    Marvin_Gangster_Redemption_07.JPG
  • A dealer is making portions of Crystal Meth (aka 'tik'), an highly addictive chemical drug commonly used in impoverished neighbourhoods in the Western Cape, RSA. Serc, 26 years old, and member of a gang in Heideveld, was shot twice in front of his house by rival gangsters. He has a wife, awaiting a third child, and two young children; with the growing unemployment in the area it has been impossible for him to provide for his family, joined a gang and started selling drugs. He is the 'main guy' in the neighbourhood and people go to him if they have a problem. "If I could find a reasonable job I would definitely quit, I know all this is not good, and it is harming our very community, but now I have to go on, I have no alternative" he says. Meth is becoming increasingly popular amongst schoolchildren and it is not difficult to find kids as young as 12 with addiction. Statistics say that over a six-month period, 94% of Meth users become addicted to it. Meth gives psychotic effects such as seeing or hearing things that are not there, and it is incline to induce violent behaviour. Meth is common between gang members, it is ideal to prepare a gun-man to hit, removing inhibitions, sharpening senses and fuelling aggression. It is easily smoked in pipes or bulbs, and it does not require a laboratory to be produced: in fact, having the right substances, it can be made even in a kitchen. High availability together with the really cheap price of 30-40 Rands per straw ( about 3-4 UK pounds) is helping to increase the abuse of this dangerous substance. Dealing Meth is also a very lucrative business which can turn a 2000 Rands (200 UK pounds) investment into 5000 Rands (500 UK pounds) in a short time. Tolerance develops quickly and higher doses are soon needed to obtain the same effect on the body.
    Marvin_Gangster_Redemption_10.JPG
  • Francis, 76 years old, a woman living since 40 years in the impoverished area of Heideveld, Cape Town, RSA. She thinks the situation is getting slowly better in the area compared with the lawlessness experienced during the 1980s. Her grandson, who was part of a gang in the area has been shot three times in front of her house by the common drive-by-shootings carried on by rival gangs in the neighbouring areas. She is scared to walk to the shops in Heideveld because she could find herself in the middle of a gunfight on the streets, but she also acquired some confidence after the government decided to build a large police station just on the area's outskirts. She laments the increasing problems due to drug dealing and abuse amongst the youngs and, like most of the people I spoke to, the soaring rate of unemployment. "If the government helps us with jobs then the situation would b better" she believes. The US style 'war on gangs' protracted since a few years by the government of South Africa is not showing its fruits; on the contrary, critics has been made to it for the excessive penalties suffered by alleged gang members that overburden an already instable prison system, whether in many advocate a better development and education policy and programmes, rather that an open fight, clarly ineffectual on the long-term. In the mainly 'coloured' area of  Heideveld, where unemployment is rife, gangs are flourishing.
    Marvin_Gangster_Redemption_18.JPG
  • Marvin, 20 years old, former gangster, teaching a life orientation lesson to young neglected youngsters in the School of Hope in Athlone, Cape Town, RSA, where troubled young kids at risk are getting education (run by Thembalitsha.org.za a local NGO). Marvin was a hit-man, working also for different gang such as 'The Americans' and the 'Junior Mafia' between the age of 15 and 19. He grow up in the mainly 'coloured' area of  Heideveld, where unemployment is rife and gangs are flourishing. He was also addicted by crystal meth (aka 'tik'), a dangerous chemical drug very common in South Africa's poorest neighbourhoods. Thanks to his family, after having been to reformatory, he was helped to get out of the gangs and to join a free academy for skills development aimed at empowering troubled youths through training and discipline, called Chrysalis (www.chrysalisacademy.org.za). He finished a three month course there and he is now about to  start working in the tourism industry; he know the wrongs has done and he does not want to go back to that life anymore. Chrysalis aim at reducing the levels of crime and violence in the Western Cape by transforming 'youth at risk' into strong, positive community leaders of the future through intensive continuous training. ?After I left the gang I was working for in the Woodstock area of Cape Town I have made myself some enemies; I cannot go back there anymore because someone has still anger left for me?I don?t want that life anymore, I want to live peacefully and fulfil my aspirations, you see: it is a matter of having little short-term goals, once you have achieved one you go onto the next, and so on. Always think you can do it, don?t give up, go for it again. I was running in dark corners, there was no way out, I did not have a goal, I had no dreams. You need to believe that you are worthwhile. Life is hard, it depends on you on how you want to make your life. Make everyday your day."
    Marvin_Gangster_Redemption_02.JPG
  • Marvin, 20 years old, former gangster, teaching a life orientation lesson to young neglected youngsters in the School of Hope in Athlone, Cape Town, RSA, where troubled young kids at risk are getting education (run by Thembalitsha.org.za a local NGO). Marvin was a hit-man, working also for different gang such as 'The Americans' and the 'Junior Mafia' between the age of 15 and 19. He grow up in the mainly 'coloured' area of  Heideveld, where unemployment is rife and gangs are flourishing. He was also addicted by crystal meth (aka 'tik'), a dangerous chemical drug very common in South Africa's poorest neighbourhoods. Thanks to his family, after having been to reformatory, he was helped to get out of the gangs and to join a free academy for skills development aimed at empowering troubled youths through training and discipline, called Chrysalis (www.chrysalisacademy.org.za). He finished a three month course there and he is now about to  start working in the tourism industry; he know the wrongs has done and he does not want to go back to that life anymore. Chrysalis aim at reducing the levels of crime and violence in the Western Cape by transforming 'youth at risk' into strong, positive community leaders of the future through intensive continuous training. ?After I left the gang I was working for in the Woodstock area of Cape Town I have made myself some enemies; I cannot go back there anymore because someone has still anger left for me?I don?t want that life anymore, I want to live peacefully and fulfil my aspirations, you see: it is a matter of having little short-term goals, once you have achieved one you go onto the next, and so on. Always think you can do it, don?t give up, go for it again. I was running in dark corners, there was no way out, I did not have a goal, I had no dreams. You need to believe that you are worthwhile. Life is hard, it depends on you on how you want to make your life. Make everyday your day."
    Marvin_Gangster_Redemption_16.jpg
  • Thomas, 64, and Elisabeth, 62, are living in the area of Heideveld, Cape Town, RSA, since about 40 years and are scared to go out even during the day because of street gun-fight. They run a little vegetable shop in their house. They acknowledge the fact that thanks to the large police station not far from their house thing are slowly getting better, but also that law enforcement is probably not the right long-term way to curb crime, gangs and drug addiction. They favour development and education for the kids but till now the government of South Africa has promoted a effectual policy towards the area of Heideveld. With extremely high rates of unemployment, poor resources and too little authority control, ghettos as Heideveld are the best places for gangs to grow in activity and businesses. Targeting mostly young people from their area to carry on the 'dirty job', gangs in the Western Cape, and South Africa are an endemic problem in continuous increase in the years after the radical apartheid governmental system. ?Coloured? communities have lost almost all their help from a government that now is concentrated on empowering black communities instead. Segregated into ghettos and without state grants or development activities, people in these community are sometimes forced to join a gang or dealing drugs also to provide for their own family. Young gangster are also used for the worst crimes by the fact that, being still under 18 years old, they would face shorter sentences if caught.
    Marvin_Gangster_Redemption_15.jpg
  • Youngsters on the streets of the impoverished neighbourhood of Heideveld, Cape Town, RSA. Here showing Marijuana worth 50 Rands (about 50 pence). With extremely high rates of unemployment, poor resources and too little authority control, ghettos as Heideveld are the best places for gangs to grow in activity and businesses. Targeting mostly young people from their area to carry on the ?dirty job?, gangs in the Western Cape, and South Africa are an endemic problem in continuous increase in the years after the radical apartheid governmental system. ?Coloured? communities have lost almost all their help from a government that now is concentrated on empowering black communities instead. Segregated into ghettos and without state grants or development activities, people in these community are sometimes forced to join a gang or dealing drugs also to provide for their own family. Young gangster are also used for the worst crimes by the fact that, being still under 18 years old, they would face shorter sentences if caught. Drug abuse between kids as young as 12 is not uncommon, especially crystal meth, mandrax and marijuana.
    Marvin_Gangster_Redemption_06.JPG
  • Crystal Meth (aka 'tik'), an highly addictive chemical drug commonly used in impoverished neighbourhoods in the Western Cape, RSA. Meth is becoming increasingly popular amongst schoolchildren and it is not difficult to find kids as young as 12 with addiction. Statistics say that over a six month period, 94% of Meth users become addicted to it. Meth gives psychotic effects such as seeing or hearing things that are not there, and it is incline to induce violent behaviour. Meth is common between gang members, it is ideal to prepare a gun-man to hit, removing inhibitions, sharpening senses and fuelling aggression. It is easily smoked in pipes or bulbs, and it does not require a laboratory to be produced: in fact, having the right substances, it can be made even in a kitchen. High availability together with the really cheap price of 30-40 Rands per straw ( about 3-4 UK pounds) is helping to increase the abuse of this dangerous substance. Dealing Meth is also a very lucrative business which can turn a 2000 Rands (200 UK pounds) investment into 5000 Rands (500 UK pounds) in a short time. Tolerance develops quickly and higher doses are soon needed to obtain the same effect on the body. Chronic abuse can lead to out-of-control rages, violence, anxiety, confusion and mood disturbances. Meth affects many parts of the central neurous system and if prolonged it does not only affects behaviour but literally changes the brain in fundamental and longstanding ways.
    Marvin_Gangster_Redemption_09.JPG
  • Marvin, 20 years old, former gangster, by a wall of a school close to the impoverished area of Heideveld, Cape Town, RSA. Marvin was a hit-man, working also for different gangs such as 'The Americans' and the 'Junior Mafia' between the age of 15 and 19. He grow up in the mainly 'coloured' area of  Heideveld, where unemployment is rife and gangs are flourishing. He was also addicted by Crystal Meth (aka 'tik'), a dangerous chemical drug very common in South Africa's poorest neighbourhoods. Thanks to his family he was helped to get out of the gangs and to join a free academy for skills development aimed at empowering troubled youths through training and discipline, called Chrysalis (www.chrysalisacademy.org.za). He finished a three month course there and he is now about to  start working in the tourism industry; he know the wrongs has done and he does not want to go back to that life anymore. Chrysalis aim at reducing the levels of crime and violence in the Western Cape by transforming 'youth at risk' into strong, positive community leaders of the future through intensive continuous training. Marvin is actually heading life orientation lessons to institutes as the School of Hope, in Athlone, Cape Town, where troubled young kids at risk are getting education (run by Thembalitsha.org.za a local NGO).
    Marvin_Gangster_Redemption_01.JPG
  • Recruits of the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Elite Police Training Center, a commando and anti-terrorism academy on the outskirts of Karachi, are taking part to a raid simulation exercise involving the freeing of a hostage. The training center was founded by retired colonel Abdul Wahid Khan, a brave officer who served as a gunship helicopter pilot in the Pakistani Air Force and around the globe with the United Nations, but who's first task as a young army officer in 1979 was to train Afghan Mujahedeen to fight the Soviet Army, the very Mujahedeen that are today's Taleban.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • Recruits of the the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Elite Police Training Center, a commando and anti-terrorism academy on the outskirts of Karachi, are exercising at dawn. The training center was founded by retired colonel Abdul Wahid Khan, a brave officer who served as a gunship helicopter pilot in the Pakistani Air Force and around the globe with the United Nations, but who's first task as a young army officer in 1979 was to train Afghan Mujahedeen to fight the Soviet Army, the very Mujahedeen that are today's Taleban.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • A member of the AVCC (Anti-Violence Crime Cell) is portrayed while at their headquarters in Karachi, Pakistan. The AVCC is a special police unit mostly involved in anti-terrorism operations and kidnap cases in the city and its vicinity.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • A member of the AVCC (Anti-Violence Crime Cell) is portrayed while at their headquarters in Karachi, Pakistan. The AVCC is a special police unit mostly involved in anti-terrorism operations and kidnap cases in the city and its vicinity.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • Members of the AVCC, (Anti-Violence Crime Cell) a special police unit mostly involved in anti-terrorism operations and kidnapping cases in the city of Karachi, are collecting their weapons from the AVCC armory in central Karachi in preparation of a night raid on the outskirts of the city searching for a kidnap suspect.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • A member of the AVCC, (Anti-Violence Crime Cell) a special police unit mostly involved in anti-terrorism operations and kidnapping cases in the city of Karachi, is loading his Pakistani made G3 assault rifle in preparation of a night raid on the outskirts of the city searching for a kidnap suspect.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • High-rise buildings mainly housing expensive apartments and shopping malls have grown very rapidly in Pakistan's main economic and financial hub, Karachi, under the recent leadership of Syed Mustafa Kamal, its mayor. Mr Kamal, 36, who was short-listed for the 2010 World Mayor Prize, is courting foreign investment, encouraging international ties, and boosting the city's tourism.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • Members of the Karachi Police are routinely patrolling the streets of the financial area of the city.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • Two suspected kidnappers are being questioned on the spot inside a police car by members of the AVCC (Anti-Violence Crime Cell) and by the local police force in Thatta, on the outskirts of Karachi, while on his search for a hostage during a fake ransom meet up with the criminals. The AVCC is a special police unit mostly involved in anti-terrorism operations and kidnap cases.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • Recruits of the the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Elite Police Training Center, a commando and anti-terrorism academy on the outskirts of Karachi, are exercising and simulating extreme actions on a high tower located on the premises. The training center was founded by retired colonel Abdul Wahid Khan, a brave officer who served as a gunship helicopter pilot in the Pakistani Air Force and around the globe with the United Nations, but who's first task as a young army officer in 1979 was to train Afghan Mujahedeen to fight the Soviet Army, the very Mujahedeen that are today's Taleban.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • A member of the AVCC (Anti-Violence Crime Cell) is portrayed while at their headquarters in Karachi, Pakistan. The AVCC is a special police unit mostly involved in anti-terrorism operations and kidnap cases in the city and its vicinity.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • A member of the AVCC (Anti-Violence Crime Cell) is portrayed while at their headquarters in Karachi, Pakistan. The AVCC is a special police unit mostly involved in anti-terrorism operations and kidnap cases in the city and its vicinity.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • A member of the AVCC (Anti-Violence Crime Cell) is portrayed while at their headquarters in Karachi, Pakistan. The AVCC is a special police unit mostly involved in anti-terrorism operations and kidnap cases in the city and its vicinity.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • A member of the AVCC (Anti-Violence Crime Cell) is portrayed while at their headquarters in Karachi, Pakistan. The AVCC is a special police unit mostly involved in anti-terrorism operations and kidnap cases in the city and its vicinity.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • Naveed Ahmed, 27, a young and ambitious member of the AVCC (Anti-Violence Crime Cell) is portrayed while at their headquarters in Karachi, Pakistan. The AVCC is a special police unit mostly involved in anti-terrorism operations and kidnap cases in the city and its vicinity.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • A kidnap suspect (center) is being questioned by two members of the AVCC, (Anti-Violence Crime Cell) a special police unit mostly involved in anti-terrorism operations and kidnap cases in the city of Karachi, Pakistan's main economic hub.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • SSP (Senior Superintendent of Police) Raja Umer Khattab, head of the anti-terrorism SIU (Special Investigation Unit) of the Karachi Police and one of Pakistan's most experienced terror experts, is portrayed in his office in the SIU headquarters in central Karachi, Pakistan. Mr Khattab was nearly killed by a suicide attack aimed at his assassination in 2008, returned to his job three months later and personally arrested the jihadist that had directed the attack.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • Colonel Abdul Wahid Khan (center) is posing for a portrait inside the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Elite Police Training Center, a commando and anti-terrorism academy on the outskirts of Karachi. The training center was founded by retired colonel Abdul Wahid Khan, a brave officer who served as a gunship helicopter pilot in the Pakistani Air Force and around the globe with the United Nations, but who's first task as a young army officer in 1979 was to train Afghan Mujahedeen to fight the Soviet Army, the very Mujahedeen that are today's Taleban.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • A recruit of the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Elite Police Training Center, a commando and anti-terrorism academy on the outskirts of Karachi, is exercising on a high rope structure located on the premises. The training center was founded by retired colonel Abdul Wahid Khan, a brave officer who served as a gunship helicopter pilot in the Pakistani Air Force and around the globe with the United Nations, but who's first task as a young army officer in 1979 was to train Afghan Mujahedeen to fight the Soviet Army, the very Mujahedeen that are today's Taleban.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • Moinuddin Syed, 42, the AVCC (Anti-Violence Crime Cell) second in command, is sitting at his desk in Karachi where he usually analyse information and prepare raids. The AVCC is a special police unit mostly involved in anti-terrorism operations and kidnap cases in the city.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • A kidnap suspect is being detained for questioning by a member of the AVCC, (Anti-Violence Crime Cell) a special police unit mostly involved in anti-terrorism operations and kidnap cases in the city of Karachi.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • Armed members of the AVCC, (Anti-Violence Crime Cell) a special police unit mostly involved in anti-terrorism operations and kidnap cases in the city of Karachi, are riding their vehicles in the city on their way to a night raid.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • Armed members of the AVCC, (Anti-Violence Crime Cell) a special police unit mostly involved in anti-terrorism operations and kidnap cases in the city of Karachi, are preparing to raid a cluster of houses on the outskirts of the city on their search for a kidnap suspect during a fake ransom meet up with the criminals.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • A pill of Mandrax (methaqualone). Initially marketed as a sedative or sleeping tablet by the French pharmaceutical giant Roussell Laboratories, it turned out to be highly addictive and banned in 1977. Sold illegally in South Africa, it is smoked in conjunction with Marijuana and it is the most widely used drug in the Western Cape, sold at about 30 Rands (about 3 UK pounds) per tablet. It is crushed and smoked in pipes or bottlenecks. It makes the user feel relaxed, clam and peaceful and everything looks perfect, while turning aggressive when the effect is wearing off. It requires increased usage in order to achieve the same effects and depression feelings are not uncommon with use. According to the Cape Town Drug Counselling Centre (CTDCC) it is a really difficult habit to break in impoverished communities where young unemployed are left on their own with no government help or other activities apart from crime and gansgterism. Social injustice, weakened family links and a feeling of 'not-belonging' are also causes of problems upon the 'coloured' communities in South Africa.
    Marvin_Gangster_Redemption_05.JPG
  • A member of the AVCC (Anti-Violence Crime Cell) is portrayed while at their headquarters in Karachi, Pakistan. The AVCC is a special police unit mostly involved in anti-terrorism operations and kidnap cases in the city and its vicinity.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • A member of the AVCC (Anti-Violence Crime Cell) is portrayed while at their headquarters in Karachi, Pakistan. The AVCC is a special police unit mostly involved in anti-terrorism operations and kidnap cases in the city and its vicinity.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • A member of the AVCC (Anti-Violence Crime Cell) is portrayed while at their headquarters in Karachi, Pakistan. The AVCC is a special police unit mostly involved in anti-terrorism operations and kidnap cases in the city and its vicinity.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • A member of the AVCC (Anti-Violence Crime Cell) is portrayed while at their headquarters in Karachi, Pakistan. The AVCC is a special police unit mostly involved in anti-terrorism operations and kidnap cases in the city and its vicinity.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • Moinuddin Syed, 42, the AVCC (Anti-Violence Crime Cell) second in command, is portrayed while at their headquarters in Karachi, Pakistan. The AVCC is a special police unit mostly involved in anti-terrorism operations and kidnap cases in the city and its vicinity.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • A boy offering rides on his horse for a fee is walking alone along Clifton Beach, a renowned costal area near the centre of Karachi, Pakistan's main economic hub.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • Students at a large Madrassa (Islamic school) in North-West Karachi, Pakistan's main economic hub, are about to face end of the year examinations.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • SSP (Senior Superintendent of Police) Abdullah Sheikh, 42, the director of the AVCC (Anti-Violence Crime Cell) is portrayed while overlooking documents in his office in the AVCC headquarters in central Karachi, Pakistan's main economic hub.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • Naveed Ahmed, 27, (left) a young and ambitious member of the AVCC (Anti-Violence Crime Cell) is portrayed while waiting to leave for a night raid on the outskirts of Karachi, Pakistan's main economic hub, in Sindh Province. The AVCC is a special police unit mostly involved in anti-terrorism operations and kidnap cases in the city and its vicinity.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • An advertisement portraying Naseem Hamid, 100-metres gold medal at the recent South Asian Federation Games in Bangladesh, is presented on a billboard standing along a busy road in Karachi, Paksitan. Naseem has become Pakistan's first woman to sprint to gold in the championship's 26-year history.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • Truck drivers belonging to a Karachi-based company are sitting in their office. The company has been contracted by NATO to transport containers arriving to Karachi by ship to Afghanistan and other bases of NATO bases in the region. Many drivers have been killed on Afghan territory by insurgent's bandit attacks aimed at disrupting NATO's supplies. Some travel as far as Bagram Airfield, near Kabul, the Afghan capital.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • Recruits of the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Elite Police Training Center, a commando and anti-terrorism academy on the outskirts of Karachi, are taking part to a raid simulation exercise. The training center was founded by retired colonel Abdul Wahid Khan, a brave officer who served as a gunship helicopter pilot in the Pakistani Air Force and around the globe with the United Nations, but who's first task as a young army officer in 1979 was to train Afghan Mujahedeen to fight the Soviet Army, the very Mujahedeen that are today's Taleban.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • A recruit of the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Elite Police Training Center, a commando and anti-terrorism academy on the outskirts of Karachi, is exercising and simulating an extreme action on a high tower located on the premises. The training center was founded by retired colonel Abdul Wahid Khan, a brave officer who served as a gunship helicopter pilot in the Pakistani Air Force and around the globe with the United Nations, but who's first task as a young army officer in 1979 was to train Afghan Mujahedeen to fight the Soviet Army, the very Mujahedeen that are today's Taleban.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • Colonel Abdul Wahid Khan (right) is inciting young recruits during a boxing class at the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Elite Police Training Center, a commando and anti-terrorism academy on the outskirts of Karachi, are exercising and simulating extreme actions on a high tower located on the premises. The training center was founded by retired colonel Abdul Wahid Khan, a brave officer who served as a gunship helicopter pilot in the Pakistani Air Force and around the globe with the United Nations, but who's first task as a young army officer in 1979 was to train Afghan Mujahedeen to fight the Soviet Army, the very Mujahedeen that are today's Taleban.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • Recruits are taking part in a raid simulation exercise at the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Elite Police Training Center, a commando and anti-terrorism academy on the outskirts of Karachi. The training center was founded by retired colonel Abdul Wahid Khan, a brave officer who served as a gunship helicopter pilot in the Pakistani Air Force and around the globe with the United Nations, but who's first task as a young army officer in 1979 was to train Afghan Mujahedeen to fight the Soviet Army, the very Mujahedeen that are today's Taleban.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • Moinuddin Syed, 42, the AVCC (Anti-Violence Crime Cell) second in command, is on his mobile phone giving instructions to his men during a night raid on the outskirts of the city of Karachi on their search for a kidnap suspect during a fake ransom meet up with the criminals. The AVCC is a special police unit mostly involved in anti-terrorism operations and kidnap cases.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • Youngster smoking Mandrax (methaqualone) and Marijuana in a bottleneck, in Heideveld, CapeTown, RSA. Initially marketed as a sedative or sleeping tablet by the French pharmaceutical giant Roussell Laboratories, it turned out to be highly addictive and banned in 1977. Sold illegally in South Africa, it is smoked in conjunction with Marijuana and it is the most widely used drug in the Western Cape, sold at about 30 Rands (about 3 UK pounds) per tablet. It is crushed and smoked in pipes or bottlenecks. It makes the user feel relaxed, clam and peaceful and everything looks perfect, while turning aggressive when the effect is wearing off. It requires increased usage in order to achieve the same effects and depression feelings are not uncommon with use. According to the Cape Town Drug Counselling Centre (CTDCC) it is a really difficult habit to break in impoverished communities where young unemployed are left on their own with no government help or other activities apart from crime and gansgterism. Social injustice, weakened family links and a feeling of 'not-belonging' are also causes of problems upon the 'coloured' communities in South Africa.
    Marvin_Gangster_Redemption_12.JPG
  • A youngster is smoking Mandrax (methaqualone) mixed with Marijuana in Heideveld, Cape Town, RSA.  Initially marketed as a sedative or sleeping tablet by the French pharmaceutical giant Roussell Laboratories, it turned out to be highly addictive and banned in 1977. Sold illegally in South Africa, it is smoked in conjunction with Marijuana and it is the most widely used drug in the Western Cape, sold at about 30 Rands (about 3 UK pounds) per tablet. It is crushed and smoked in pipes or bottlenecks. It makes the user feel relaxed, clam and peaceful and everything looks perfect, while turning aggressive when the effect is wearing off. It requires increased usage in order to achieve the same effects and depression feelings are not uncommon with use. According to the Cape Town Drug Counselling Centre (CTDCC) it is a really difficult habit to break in impoverished communities where young unemployed are left on their own with no government help or other activities apart from crime and gansgterism. Social injustice, weakened family links and a feeling of 'not-belonging' are also causes of problems upon the ?coloured? communities in South Africa.
    Marvin_Gangster_Redemption_03.JPG
  • A member of the AVCC (Anti-Violence Crime Cell) is portrayed while at their headquarters in Karachi, Pakistan. The AVCC is a special police unit mostly involved in anti-terrorism operations and kidnap cases in the city and its vicinity.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • Muslim children are studying the Koran, Islam's holy book, at a large Madrassa (Islamic school) in North-West Karachi, Pakistan's main economic hub.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • Children of policemen living in houses near the AVCC (Anti-Violence Crime Cell) headquarters in central Karachi are playing on the street after a sprout of rain fell on the city.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • A symbol signifying 'Allah', (right) is seen at a roundabout in central Karachi near a McDonald's fast-food restaurant sign. (left)
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • Young men are dancing on stage at a Coca Cola event organised at a McDonald's fast-food restaurant on Clifton Beach, a renowned costal area near the centre of Karachi, Pakistan's main economic hub.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • A Muslim boy is waiting for breakfast at a large Madrassa (Islamic school) in North-West Karachi, Pakistan's main economic hub.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • A night view of Karachi, Pakistan's main economic hub and its largest city, counting for over 18 million inhabitants.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • A kidnap suspect (left) is being detained for questioning by a member of the AVCC, (Anti-Violence Crime Cell) a special police unit mostly involved in anti-terrorism operations and kidnap cases in the city of Karachi, Pakistan's main economic hub.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • A kidnap suspect (right) is being detained for questioning by a member of the AVCC, (Anti-Violence Crime Cell) a special police unit mostly involved in anti-terrorism operations and kidnap cases in the city of Karachi, Pakistan's main economic hub.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • Naveed Ahmed, 27, (left) a young and ambitious member of the AVCC (Anti-Violence Crime Cell) is portrayed while taking a short break after an unsuccessful rescue operation in the outskirts of Karachi, Pakistan's main economic hub, in Sindh Province. During the raid the police detained kidnap suspects and recovered the phone and SIM card used by the criminals to contact the hostage's family. The man however was not found on this occasion. The suspects have been brought to the AVCC headquarters in Karachi to be questioned. The AVCC is a special police unit mostly involved in anti-terrorism operations and kidnap cases in the city and its vicinity.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • An armed member of the AVCC, (Anti-Violence Crime Cell) a special police unit mostly involved in anti-terrorism operations and kidnap cases in the city of Karachi, is riding in a police van in the city on their way to a night raid aimed at freeing a hostage and arresting the offenders.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • An armed member of the AVCC, (Anti-Violence Crime Cell) a special police unit mostly involved in anti-terrorism operations and kidnap cases in the city of Karachi, is sitting in a police van on the way to a night raid on the outskirts of Karachi, Pakistan's main economic hub.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • Karachi's habour, Asia's second largest, is NATO's main supply and logistical hub in South Asia. Here hundreds of ship containers are being reloaded onto trucks daily and then sent to Afghanistan and other bases of NATO bases in the region.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • Armed members of the AVCC, (Anti-Violence Crime Cell) a special police unit mostly involved in anti-terrorism operations and kidnap cases in the city of Karachi, are reciting prayers in their vehicle on the way to a raid on the outskirts of the city while searching for a kidnap suspect.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • Recruits of the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Elite Police Training Center, a commando and anti-terrorism academy on the outskirts of Karachi, are exercising at dawn. The training center was founded by retired colonel Abdul Wahid Khan, a brave officer who served as a gunship helicopter pilot in the Pakistani Air Force and around the globe with the United Nations, but who's first task as a young army officer in 1979 was to train Afghan Mujahedeen to fight the Soviet Army, the very Mujahedeen that are today's Taleban.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • Recruits are running during training exercise at the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Elite Police Training Center, a commando and anti-terrorism academy on the outskirts of Karachi. The training center was founded by retired colonel Abdul Wahid Khan, a brave officer who served as a gunship helicopter pilot in the Pakistani Air Force and around the globe with the United Nations, but who's first task as a young army officer in 1979 was to train Afghan Mujahedeen to fight the Soviet Army, the very Mujahedeen that are today's Taleban.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • A member of the AVCC, (Anti-Violence Crime Cell) a special police unit mostly involved in anti-terrorism operations and kidnap cases in the city of Karachi, is portrayed while sitting inside their headquarters in center of the city.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • Recruits are exercising at a long-range shooting ground at the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Elite Police Training Center, a commando and anti-terrorism academy on the outskirts of Karachi. The training center was founded by retired colonel Abdul Wahid Khan, a brave officer who served as a gunship helicopter pilot in the Pakistani Air Force and around the globe with the United Nations, but who's first task as a young army officer in 1979 was to train Afghan Mujahedeen to fight the Soviet Army, the very Mujahedeen that are today's Taleban.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • A night view of Karachi, Pakistan's main economic hub and its largest city, counting for over 18 million inhabitants.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • Recruits of the the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Elite Police Training Center, a commando and anti-terrorism academy on the outskirts of Karachi, are being briefed on raids and security procedures. The training center was founded by retired colonel Abdul Wahid Khan, a brave officer who served as a gunship helicopter pilot in the Pakistani Air Force and around the globe with the United Nations, but who's first task as a young army officer in 1979 was to train Afghan Mujahedeen to fight the Soviet Army, the very Mujahedeen that are today's Taleban.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • A member of the AVCC (Anti-Violence Crime Cell) is portrayed while at their headquarters in Karachi, Pakistan. The AVCC is a special police unit mostly involved in anti-terrorism operations and kidnap cases in the city and its vicinity.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • Members of the AVCC, (Anti-Violence Crime Cell) a special police unit mostly involved in anti-terrorism operations and kidnapping cases in the city of Karachi, are gathering on the outskirts of a suspected criminal hiding position in order to discuss the approach on the ground and to retain a strategic advantage on all possible escape routes.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • Armed members of the AVCC, (Anti-Violence Crime Cell) a special police unit mostly involved in anti-terrorism operations and kidnap cases in the city of Karachi, are sitting in their vehicle on the way to a raid on the outskirts of the city while searching for a kidnap suspect.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • An instructor of the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Elite Police Training Center, a commando and anti-terrorism academy on the outskirts of Karachi, is instructing recruits. On his t-shirt are printed the letters ATF, meaning Anti-Terrorism force, The training center was founded by retired colonel Abdul Wahid Khan, a brave officer who served as a gunship helicopter pilot in the Pakistani Air Force and around the globe with the United Nations, but who's first task as a young army officer in 1979 was to train Afghan Mujahedeen to fight the Soviet Army, the very Mujahedeen that are today's Taleban.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • Two snipers in mimetic disguise are practising at a long-range shooting ground at the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Elite Police Training Center, a commando and anti-terrorism academy on the outskirts of Karachi. The training center was founded by retired colonel Abdul Wahid Khan, a brave officer who served as a gunship helicopter pilot in the Pakistani Air Force and around the globe with the United Nations, but who's first task as a young army officer in 1979 was to train Afghan Mujahedeen to fight the Soviet Army, the very Mujahedeen that are today's Taleban.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • Recruits are exercising at the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Elite Police Training Center, a commando and anti-terrorism academy on the outskirts of Karachi. The training center was founded by retired colonel Abdul Wahid Khan, a brave officer who served as a gunship helicopter pilot in the Pakistani Air Force and around the globe with the United Nations, but who's first task as a young army officer in 1979 was to train Afghan Mujahedeen to fight the Soviet Army, the very Mujahedeen that are today's Taleban.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • An armed member of the AVCC, (Anti-Violence Crime Cell) a special police unit mostly involved in anti-terrorism operations and kidnap cases in the city of Karachi, is raiding a hut on the outskirts of the city on his search for a kidnap suspect during a fake ransom meet up with the criminals.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • Two armed members of the AVCC, (Anti-Violence Crime Cell) a special police unit mostly involved in anti-terrorism operations and kidnap cases in the city of Karachi, are raiding a cluster of houses on the outskirts of the city on their search for a kidnap suspect during a fake ransom meet up with the criminals.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • An armed member of the AVCC, (Anti-Violence Crime Cell) a special police unit mostly involved in anti-terrorism operations and kidnap cases in the city of Karachi, is preparing to raid a cluster of houses on the outskirts of the city on their search for a kidnap suspect during a fake ransom meet up with the criminals.
    Protecting_Karachi_Alex_Masi_Pakista...JPG
  • A young boy is walking on the hilltop surrounding the tannery area of Jajmau,<br />
Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, located on the most polluted stretch of the mighty Ganges River.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_01.JPG
  • Hindu devotees are crossing a shallow section of the holy Ganges River during the yearly Sonepur Mela, Asia's largest cattle market, in Bihar, India.
    Sonepur_Mela_11.JPG
  • A young girl from the village of Beghrajpur, Muzaffarnagar District, Uttar Pradesh, India, is collecting grass for her family's buffaloes from the banks of a large drain originating from the Beghrajpur Industrial Complex, mainly composed of chemical factories, a few hundred meters upstream, on Sunday, Mar. 30, 2008. The white drain, completely covered in foam, will reach the Kali river (East) in Usampur Bhopara village. At the end of its journey, the watercourse will eventually join the largest Ganges river injecting a deadly dose of pollutants into its Holy waters.
    Slow_Poison_46.JPG
  • A young girl from Joana, pop. 1800, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, is standing in front of her house. The inhabitants of the village are affected by the wastewater originated from the nearby Jajmau Industrial Area, the largest leather producing hub in India, discharging directly into the holy Ganges River.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_40.JPG
  • A large drain is pouring municipal and industrial waste into the Ganges River near Jajmau Industrial Area, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Many drains are scattered around the area and discharge contaminated wastewater into the nearby river tainting underground reservoirs and endangering the fresh water supply of local people.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_32.JPG
  • Hindu devotees are about to bath in the holy Ganges River, while an elephant and his handler are saluting the rising sun during the yearly Sonepur Mela, Asia's largest cattle market, in Bihar, India.
    Sonepur_Mela_21.JPG
  • A Hindu devotee is drying her sari after having bathed in the holy Ganges River during the yearly Sonepur Mela, Asia's largest cattle market, in Bihar, India.
    Sonepur_Mela_17.JPG
  • An elephant is being washed by its owners on a ghat (riverside) of the holy Ganges River during the yearly Sonepur Mela, Asia's largest cattle market, in Bihar, India.
    Sonepur_Mela_16.JPG
  • After bathing and religious rituals, a Hindu mother and her daughter are walking out of the holy Ganges River during the yearly Sonepur Mela, Asia's largest cattle market, in Bihar, India.
    Sonepur_Mela_15.JPG
  • After bathing, Hindu devotees are taking a break on a ghat (riverside) along the holy Ganges River during the yearly Sonepur Mela, Asia's largest cattle market, in Bihar, India.
    Sonepur_Mela_02.JPG
  • A man is bathing in the polluted Ganges River in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, at dawn. Sustaining life for thousands of years along the Indo-Gangetic plains, the river's ecosystem is in grave danger of being damaged beyond repair.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_47.JPG
  • Six boys are sitting on the banks of the polluted Ganges River in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, near the tannery area of Jajmau. Sustaining life for thousands of years along the Indo-Gangetic plains, the river's ecosystem is in grave danger of being damaged beyond repair.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_46.JPG
  • Koren, 5, is one of three children presenting a similar neurological disorder and living on the same road in Joana village, pop. 1800, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. He is portrayed while in the arms of his father. The village is located onto a series of drains joining the Ganges River nearby and the community is entirely.reliant on the poisonous groundwater. Koren has serious cognitive limitations while his body's right side is affected by a semi-paralysis and muscular defection. His family cannot afford even a rudimental medication.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_44.JPG
  • Agricultural labourers are collecting water devoted to irrigation from pools forming on the side of the polluted Ganges River in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, near Jajmao Industrial Area. Sustaining life for thousands of years along the Indo-Gangetic plains, the river's ecosystem is in grave danger of being damaged beyond repair while crops absorb the contaminants from the water and pass it on to those consuming the vegetables grown in this area.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_43.JPG
  • A child with a neurological disorder (2nd from left) is portrayed with his underprivileged family inside their rudimental home in Joana, pop. 1800, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, a poor agricultural village affected by the tanneries' untreated water discharge in the Ganges River.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_35.JPG
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