Iraqi Police Officers Complete Advanced, Specialty, Basic Courses

(2005-08-04) American Forces Press Service

The Iraqi Police Service graduated 142 police officers from advanced and specialty courses at the Adnan Training Facility today, according to officials with the Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq.

Sixty-one of the new policemen graduated from the basic investigations course, 16 from the interview and interrogations course, 32 from the violent crime investigation course, 16 from the criminal intelligence course, and 27 from the first line supervisor's course.

To date, 2,264 police officers have completed the basic criminal investigation course, which covers topics such as theft, burglary, arson, robbery, sexual offenses, and homicide investigation. Students also receive instruction and hands-on training in fingerprinting, photography, tool marks, and plaster-casting techniques, MNSTI officials said in a release.

The interview and interrogations course covers advanced interview and interrogation techniques. It includes instruction on the preservation and protection of human rights, and the importance of ethical behavior during interviews and interrogations, the release stated. To date, 543 students have completed this course.

To date, 541 officers have graduated from the violent crime investigation course, in which students are introduced to investigative techniques to be used in a variety of situations, but particularly in violent crimes including armed robbery, rape and murder, according to the release. Planning, collection, analysis and distribution of intelligence information are the topics highlighted in the criminal intelligence course. This course also equips participants with the ability to recognize trends that may have an impact on public safety and security. This course has graduated 317 students to date.

The first-line supervision course focuses on major leadership areas for front-line supervisors, including human rights training, ethics and corruption, policing in a democracy, and interpersonal skills critical to effective leadership. To date, 465 students have graduated from this course.

Officials noted that officers who participated in these courses previously completed either an eight-week basic training course for new recruits or a three-week "transitional integration program" designed for police officers currently serving.

The police officers report for duty at their respective stations immediately.

In other news, a bumper crop of Iraqi police officers graduate today from basic police training courses in Sulaymaniyah, Hillah and Baghdad, according to U.S. military officials in Baghdad.

Completing the 10-week training course were 1,816 new police recruits. One hundred thirty-seven graduated from the Sulaymaniyah Regional Academy, 643 from the Hillah Regional Academy, and 952, including 16 women, from the Baghdad Police College. Completing the three-week Transitional Integration Program in Baghdad were 84 police officers.

The 10-week basic police training program is designed to provide fundamental and democratic policing skills based on international human rights standards to the students in preparation for assuming police officer responsibilities, officials said in a release. The program consists of academic study of general policing topics combined with a heavy emphasis to tactical operational policing skills, officials noted.

With recent increased attacks on Iraqi security forces, the basic police training course was modified to increase combat survival and police skills training while building an attitude of teamwork and cohesion. New classes were added that provide for more hands-on and practical training exercises especially addressing specific survival skills needed by today's Iraqi Police Service officers, officials said.

The TIP course is a three-week program developed for serving police officers with little or no prior basic training. TIP will provide these officers with a condensed version of the 10-week course. More than 40,000 police recruits have previously completed the longer course developed for new recruits.

An additional 37,000 police officers have completed the TIP course to date. The new officers will report for duty in the coming weeks and take up their assignments at their respective police stations throughout Iraq, U.S. military officials said.