As the Iraqi insurgency persists violently before the June 30, 2004 hand-over deadline, a common target for the insurgents seems to be the newly formed Iraqi police force. Variety of attacks using car bombs, heavily armed men, and mortars have targeted police officers and police infrastructures like stations and academies. But, the news reports always felt like an abstraction -- a sterile Police Blotter report.
Example from recent BBC reports: (Mosul 6-24-04, car bombs went off in the al-Wakhas district and on the Wadi Hajar police station in the south of the city the Iraqi Police Academy, another police station and the al-Jumhuri hospital were also attacked, said police and doctors.)So, when I recently saw this BBC News feature involving a photo journal of a Baghdad Iraqi Policeman, I was curious to find out more. In this undated article, an Iraqi police officer describes a day in the newly formed police force. [summary]: In a fairly upbeat fashion, he details his daily routine and working with American Military Polices (MPs). From his comments, it's hard to get a handle on the day-to-day security picture around his precinct, he only talks about local petty thieves. Additionally, I get the sense of hope and optimism. Unfortunately, I can't figure out the time frame of his opinions, and whether or not they were before or after the uptick in violence (which may or may not involve his area), and the Abu Graibe prisoner scandal. link
Update: Slate.com has a new article on why Iraqi Cops are struggling. An Excerpt
Then the war came. Saddam was replaced by Americans who gave you 100 bucks a month, a blue shirt, and a 9 mm Glock pistol. They appointed a new captain, a former soldier, and told him he was king of the precinct. Things were looking up.
That was a year ago. Now the captain is a black scorch mark outside the station where the car bomb went off. The Americans are talking about detective training, but how can you investigate theft when you're being shot at each day? The new captain won't patrol without an armored escort. Your father has received death threats if you don't resign. You don't know who the bad guys are. You suspect two or three men, but if you haul them in and hang them by their thumbs, the Americans will have you fired. Or worse, some fellow Iraqi will put a bullet in your head.
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