Kuwait began recruiting women into its police force earlier this year and now has about 60. The move was highly controversial and is still opposed by some Islamist MPs. 

One MP, Mohammed Hayef, was quoted as saying their role is "an abuse to the female identity, a violation of Islamic ethics and a blind imitation of western and westernised countries". 

According to The National, female officers have also suffered taunts from Kuwaiti teenagers:

Some of the teens thought the inexperienced women would be an easy target for verbal abuse. 

They realised their mistake when the police hit back with a punishment out of the fashion-conscious miscreants' worst dreams. Dozens of insolent offenders were hauled to the police station to have their heads closely shaved with clippers. 

Retribution of sorts, I suppose, but summarily hauling kinds into the station to have their heads shaved doesn't sound much like professional policing.

Posted by Brian Whitaker, 9 September 2010.