A street intercept strategy to research police corruption in Afghanistan

Conducting research in an armed-conflict setting can be a daunting task when faced with security, logistical and recruitment challenges. Moreover, when working with local agents for translation purposes there are additional problems with the veracity and accuracy of the research. However, there are various strategies to mitigate these problems that include a street-intercept strategy and training interpreters. This article provides a methodological insight into a study on police corruption in the Afghan police force. Recruitment of Afghan police officers was built on a street-intercept strategy and the interpreters utilized were trained and tested on language proficiency in English. The local company also specialized in logistics and security awareness that proved useful when relocating from Kabul to neighbouring provinces due to insecurity. This strategy can be considered by researchers when faced with security, access and logistical issues in volatile conflict settings.