PRT News
Iraqi Regional Police Training Center Opens in Diyala
(PRT, military, contractors run on rule of law)
By Gene Arnold
Special Correspondent
Muqdadiyah, Diyala Province -- A competent, non-sectarian police force, something Iraq did not have under the Ba’athist regime of Saddam Hussein, got a boost recently with the opening of the Iraqi Regional Police Training Center near Muqdadiyah.
The Center serves as a training facility for Diyala and neighboring Salah ad Din Province and is currently in the second week of its first four week intensive basic training course for 400 Police Academy cadets.
The success of the center is due to a combined effort by the Diyala Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT), its military counterpart, and a Defense Department contractor.
Army Reserve Lieutenant Colonel Tim Connor, who serves as the Deputy Team Leader for PRT Diyala, attended the opening ceremony of the police training course on May 1.
After visiting the facility and observing the course instruction Connor said, “What I saw was a well organized, professionally managed police basic training program, attended by highly motivated and patriotic Iraqi men eager to protect and serve."
LTC Connor, a police lieutenant with over 18 years of law enforcement experience, added, "As we continue to see daily improvement in the security situation in Diyala, the province stands at a critical point in establishing effective rule of law for it's citizens. The foundation for effective rule of law is a trained, professional police force, and the opening of the Diyala Police Academy marks the laying of the first blocks of that foundation.”
Since 2006 the Government of Iraq has worked closely with Coalition Forces to develop a professional police force that cuts across sectarian and ethnic lines -- an important requirement for rule of law in a nation wracked by insurgency and sectarian mistrust.
The Muqdadiyah Center is a joint effort between the Government of Iraq and Military Professional Resources International (MPRI), a U. S. Department of Defense contracting firm based in Alexandria, Virginia. The firm developed the training center and the basic course in consultation with the Iraqi Police Force and Ministry of the Interior.
A key component of the project was to build Iraqi capacity by training the Iraqi instructors who are now themselves conducting the course. MPRI technical experts are observing and coaching the Iraqi instructional staff during the first class.
There is a planned two week break before the commencement of the second basic class during which MPRI and the Iraqi Staff will review and make improvements or small modifications to the course before the second group of approximately 700 trainees arrive.
Diyala Province has been the scene of a protracted insurgent resistance to the Government of Iraq over the past two years, which has delayed the establishment of the rule of law in the province. Insurgents in fact destroyed the original Regional Training Center that had been built near Baqubah.
The effectiveness of the 2007 “military surge” in improving the security situation in Iraq has made Provincial Reconstruction Team Diyala’s efforts to promote the rule of law possible.
PRT Diyala has focused its efforts on collaborative effort with the provincial judiciary and police forces as well as daily interaction with the provincial governor. These efforts are beginning to bear fruit and the addition of well trained police officers to the province will undoubtedly be an important element in establishing law and order in the province.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) operates a number of rule of law programs centered on police training throughout Iraq in cooperation with PRTs and Coalition forces.
Much of that assistance comes under DOJ’s International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP) in Iraq, which is the largest international police training program ever undertaken by the Department.
Working through DOJ’s Civilian Police Assistance Training Team (CPATT), ICITAP has achieved a number of successes including:
- Training more than 239,000 Iraqi police officers with the help of ICITAP/CPATT-trained Iraqi instructors. More than 24,000 Iraqi police also participating in specialized and advanced training under the program
- Training the Iraq Police for planning and security during the January and December 2005 elections and the October 2005 referendum
- Founding and advising the Baghdad Police College, the Irbil Police College, and 10 regional basic training facilities throughout Iraq.