Monday, September 11, 2006
Crack down on militias posing as police
Security
Police in Baghdad and multinational forces will start a pilot scheme to crack down on militias posing as police in eastern Baghdad. There have been many accusations that members of the Iraqi police service are involved in kidnappings, torture and extra-judicial killings. A register of police officers, their cars and weapons is being compiled in a pilot scheme in eastern Baghdad. Every officer has been photographed, fingerprinted, and tattoos or scars recorded. The database has also checked the serial numbers of weapons assigned to individual officers against their official ID cards, along with the vehicles they are allowed to drive. Spot checks will be carried out on police officers manning check points and weapons will be confiscated and officers arrested if they cannot prove their identity. The scheme comes after claims that Shia militia members within the police, or associated with individual officers and stations, are responsible for death squad activity. Anti-Iraqi forces have also been stealing police uniforms and posing as police.
