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NewsTranscript
00:00Before the regime fell, this police station in central Damascus was staffed with around
00:05100 officers. All of them have fled or been suspended and replaced by 30 Ayatollah Tariq
00:11al-Shaq fighters. Abu Riyad is in charge.
00:15They regularly send us reinforcements to help, but we're still severely short-staffed.
00:22An elderly blind man arrives to file a complaint.
00:30Five minutes ago, we heard a gunshot. It hit the wall of the shop.
00:39Do you have a video of the explosion?
00:41Yes, I do. I have a bedroom, a living room and a kitchen.
00:47I sent four police officers with the blind man.
00:53Minutes later, the policemen arrive on site.
01:01The hole in the wall is very obvious and locks have been changed.
01:05Cases like this are more common since the regime has fallen.
01:16We have summoned the head of this workshop to the station.
01:19We are going to question him to understand what is going on.
01:24That night, we join the unit for a patrol.
01:30It's Thursday evening. The weekend is just starting and people are out.
01:35To this day, we have not been paid. We work as volunteers.
01:39Riyad was a policeman in Damascus before he defected in 2011 to join the rebels in their Idlib stronghold.
01:47The unit stops to check on a popular mall with a selection of cafes.
01:55We want security, freedom and we don't want authoritarian rule.
02:00And we want decent salaries so we don't have to steal or take bribes to offer a good life to our families.
02:06That's all we're asking for.
02:08Before, when I came across a police patrol, I'd changed direction.
02:12I had done nothing wrong but I knew they could simply accuse me of anything.
02:18We feel safe. Look, it's midnight now.
02:21We're outside walking and everything is fine.
02:26In order to assume control of Damascus, the new leadership knows it needs to train and recruit a maximum amount of policemen.
02:33The first batch of officers is just coming out of the academy.