British police to train Iraqi police

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

LONDON : British police officers are being sent to Iraq to train local police. The first batch of 24 volunteers from forces in England and Wales have gone to Basra to work alongside Royal Military Police at the Regional Police Training Academy .

They put local in-service police through an intensive two-week course in the basics of civilian policing principles and practices. At full capacity the Academy will train about 460 Iraqi police each month.

The aim, in the words of foreign and commonwealth office minister, Baroness Symons, is to have "increasing numbers of Iraqi police officers ready and able to take on the daily business of patrolling Iraqi streets for themselves."

Under existing plans, the Academy at Basra will not be involved in training recruits. That will be the job of a special training facility being established in Jordan , where the staff will include 75 officers released by forces in England , Wales and Scotland .


More: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/399678.cms

[DulceDecorum]

1. Why bother?

"Friendly fire" will decimate their ranks.