BASRA â Finding criminals is not a problem for the joint British and Iraqi police patrols trying to keep order in the Basra slum district of Hayaniya â the problem is that there are more lawbreakers than they can cope with. The warren of streets on the western fringe of Basra is littered with looted scrap metal, as well as piles of rotting garbage where bony dogs scavenge and grimy children play. Raw sewage flows through the gutters, stinking in the fierce heat. Crime is a way of life here for the impoverished residents who have lived through decades of war, dictatorship and sanctions.
The British troops in control of Basra are trying to rebuild an Iraqi police force to restore a semblance of order. Aid agencies are clamoring for improved security. Residents are demanding restoration of law and order. The British say they are working on it — but it will not be achieved overnight. âThe best people to police Iraq are the Iraqis, but we have to restore the local police force gradually and with a lot of supervision,â said Lt. Col. Eddie Forster-Knight, commanding officer of the British military police in Basra. Around 1,000 policemen of the cityâs former force of 6,000 have returned to work. The British say they cannot be too choosy about employing police who served during Saddam Husseinâs rule security needs to be restored as fast as possible and there is not enough time to train a new force entirely from scratch. âWhat we canât do is go back to year zero. We have to deal with the reality of policing a city of 1.5 million people,â Forster-Knight said. âLike in any big city, every crime imaginable is being committed here.â |