A seemingly amusing video from the streets of Kazakhstan's capital has turned into a major scandal and the immediate downfall of two officers from Astana's tourist police. A well-known foreign travel blogger, Haggagovic, posted a video on social media showing him picking up a woman in police uniform and spinning her around while she was on duty, reports infohub.kz.
The footage quickly spread across the Kazakh internet and sparked a heated divide among users: while some were charmed by the local police's openness, others persistently questioned where professional distance and discipline had gone.
Haggagovic is a popular Egyptian travel content creator with 1.3 million followers, known for his signature move of literally sweeping random passersby and law enforcement officers off their feet around the world.
"A uniform is not for hugging"
The response from the Astana Police Department was swift and severe. The department conducted an internal review and stated that the behavior of officers in uniform undermines the image of the force.
"Officers of the capital's tourist police, while on duty, violated the norms of professional ethics and conduct requirements. Such behavior while on duty and in uniform is unacceptable. A police officer must maintain professional distance and the established culture of behavior in any situation," the Astana Police Department emphasized.
Out of the force
Even the status of tourist police, whose main task is to be friendly to foreign visitors, could not protect the women.
The outcome of the internal investigation was uncompromising: both officers featured in the blogger's footage have been officially dismissed from the internal affairs bodies for violating service discipline.