Ministry of Interior -- Security Forces Information Packet

Mission

The Iraqi Ministry of Interior is a vital component in the new, democratic Iraq. The Ministry’s mission is to ensure the security and safety of Iraqi citizens and of their property. It will serve Iraqi citizens of all backgrounds and beliefs. The Ministry has a central role to play in protecting the constitutional process to allow Iraqis to build a new country free from fear. This institution has been designed to reflect the highest standards in professional Public Safety practice and to meet the particular needs of Iraq in this time of transition. The Ministry will provide robust protection against those who threaten civil order while serving the interest of all Iraqis.

· Iraqi Police Service

· Department of Border Enforcement

· Facilities Protection Service


Iraqi Police Service

General:

· The duties of the Iraqi Police Service include enforcing Iraqi criminal law.

· Currently, the Iraqi Police Service consists of approximately 67,000 personnel.

· The starting salary of an IPS officer is 90,000ID ($60) per month.

· IPS officers receive an additional 130,000ID ($87) per month in hazardous duty pay.


Training:

· Newly hired police officers undergo an eight-week training program.

    o Currently, newly hired police officers are undergoing training at the Baghdad Police Academy and the Jordan International Police Training Center.

    o Approximately 150 IPS officers have completed the eight-week training

    o Approximately 1,500 IPS trainees are currently undergoing the eight-week training.

    o On Thursday, January 29, the first class of new police recruits will graduate from the JIPTC and join the ranks of the IPS.

· Experienced police officers undergo a three-week training program known as the Transition Integration Program (TIP).

    o During TIP training, police officers are trained in international standards of human rights, modern policing techniques and Iraqi criminal law and procedure.

    o Approximately 8,200 IPS officers have completed TIP training.

    o Approximately 3,000 IPS officers are currently undergoing the TIP training.

· An IPS candidate must possess the following qualifications for employment:

    o Minimum age 20

    o Complete secondary school with ability to read, write and communicate in Arabic

    o No criminal history

    o No history of human rights violations

    o No Ba’ath party affiliation

    o Physically and psychologically fit

    o Uncorrected vision of 20/200 with normal color vision


Equipment:

· IPS officers wear a uniform consisting of light blue shirts with a distinctive patch.

    o More than 95,000 uniforms have already been issued to IPS officers.

· IPS officers drive blue and white vehicles, of various makes and models.

    o Approximately 4,000 vehicles are on hand for use by IPS officers.

· IPS officers will be equipped with 9mm pistols and AK 47 rifles.


Department of Border Enforcement

The Department of Border Enforcement consists of:

o Border Police

o Bureau of Civil Customs Inspection

o Bureau of Immigration Inspection

o Bureau of Nationality and Civil Affairs


Border Police

General:

· The Border Police are in the process of transitioning from a fort-based static security operation to a modern, highly mobile, human rights-respecting police agency.

· The duties of the Border Police include protecting the territorial integrity of Iraq, providing security for fixed points of entry and patrolling the borders, which include mountainous, desert, marshy and coastal areas.

· Currently, the Iraqi Border Police consists of:

    o Approximately 9,000 Border Police officers.

· The current Border Police officers are a mix of rehired officers and newly hired officers.

    o The process of vetting those officers who worked as officers under the former regime is on-going.

· The starting salary of a Border Police officer is 90,000ID ($60) per month.

· Border Police officers receive an additional 130,000ID ($87) per month in hazardous duty pay.

Training:

· Currently, newly hired officers undergo the same eight week training program as IPS officers.

    o In addition, officers undergo an additional two weeks of post-academy training, specifically tailored for Border Police officers.

· Future training plans call for the development of a train-the-trainer program in which a team of civilian advisors will develop a course of study and train a team of Iraqis who will then undertake training future officers.

· Later this year, the Ministry of Interior will open a new $8 million state-of the-art Border Enforcement Academy in Sulamaniyah.

    o The Border Enforcement Academy will have the capacity to train up to 1000 recruits at a time.

    o The Border Enforcement Academy will feature a shooting house and driving track for use in training recruits.

Equipment and facilities:

· Border Police officers wear a uniform consisting of khaki shirts and pants with a distinctive patch.

    o All uniforms have been distributed.

· Border Police officers drive all-terrain vehicles of various makes and models.

· Border Police officers will be equipped with 9mm pistols and AK 47 rifles.


Immigration inspection

· The duties of the Bureau of Immigration Inspection include checking passports and visas of travelers, detecting illegal aliens and trafficking in human beings.


Civil Customs inspection

· The duties of the Bureau of Civil Customs Inspection include inspection of goods to detect smuggling and ensure quality of agricultural and other imports.


Bureau of Nationality and Civil Affairs

· The duties of the Bureau of Nationality and Civil Affairs include recording vital statistics (births, deaths, marriages, divorces), providing Iraqi citizens with passport services and adjudicating immigration applications.


Facilities Protection Service

General

· The duties of the Facilities Protection Service include protection of governmental buildings and facilities.

· Currently, there are approximately 40,000 FPS guards on duty throughout Iraq.

    o This number includes approximately 2,200 Diplomatic Protection Service (DPS) guards charged with protecting foreign embassies in Iraq.

· FPS is comprised of a mix of first-time, newly trained guards and guards with prior military or police training and experience.

    o The process of vetting those with prior military or police training and experience is on-going.

· The starting salary of an FPS guard is 83,000ID ($56) per month.

· FPS guards receive an additional 96,000ID ($64) per month in hazardous duty pay.

Training:

· Newly hired FPS guards undergo an intensive three-day training program.

    o DPS guards undergo an even more rigorous five-day training program.

· Currently, FPS guards are trained by Coalition forces or Iraqi trainers who have been trained by Coalition trainers.

· The training is conducted at the Baghdad Police Academy or at sites chosen by the hiring ministry.

    o The various Iraqi ministries are free to hire and train their own FPS guards, based on training standards set forth by the Ministry of Interior.

· The Ministry of Interior is currently considering the establishment of a National FPS Training Center in Baghdad and mobile training teams to operate out of each of the 18 governorates.

· An FPS candidate must meet the following qualifications for employment:

    o Age 18 to 50

    o Good moral character

    o Pass a literacy test

    o Pass a physical fitness test

    o No criminal background

Equipment

· FPS guards wear a uniform consisting of grey shirts with a distinctive patch.

· FPS guards drive vehicles that are provided by the ministry to which they are assigned.

· FPS guards will be equipped with 9 mm pistols and/or AK 47 rifles.