Iraq
| Author | George Kurian |
| Pages | 493-495 |
Page 493
Official country name: Republic of Iraq
Capital: Baghdad
Geographic description: Middle Eastern country through which the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers flow, bordered by Iran to the east, Syria to the west, Turkey to the north, and Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to the south
Population: 26,074,906 (est. 2005)
The Iraqi Police was formed in 1919 under British auspices. It was one of six paramilitary and internal security forces that kept law and order: The others were the People's Militia, the Youth Vanguard, the Border Guards, the Mobile Force, and the Department of General Intelligence (Al Mukhabarat). As of 2005, the Iraqi Police was still being reconstituted and reorganized following the U.S. and Allied forces invasion in March 2003, which ended the tortuous regime of President Saddam Hussein. It is expected it will be years before the country has a full-fledged and effective police force operationally independent of coalition occupation forces.
Before the Iraq-Kuwait conflict in 1990–1991, known as the Second Gulf War (the First Gulf War being the Iran-Iraq War of 1980–1988), the police functioned under a director general of police who was subordinate to the Ministry of the Interior. Territorially, the force was divided into 19 units—1 in Baghdad and 1 in each of the 18 governorates. Functionally, there were a number of specialized components, including narcotics, railroads, and traffic. Police ranks were identical with that of the army.
The Mobile Force was a militarized police force used to support the regular force in countering major internal uprisings. It was armed with infantry weapons, artillery, and armored vehicles. The Border Guard was stationed principally in northern Iraq along the borders with Turkey, Iran, and Syria to guard against smuggling and infiltration. The Department of General Intelligence was Saddam Hussein's dreaded secret service, which he used to terrorize the population.
The Iraqi Police operate two main schools, both in Baghdad: the Police College for those with at least secondary school certificates, and the Police Preparatory School for those with only primary schooling.
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