Iraqi Police Find Help Beyond Castle Walls

By John J. Pistone, U.S. Navy

TAL AFAR, Iraq - Located high above the city, in what is known as "The Castle," Iraqi Police are receiving much needed assistance in their fight against terrorism. Nestled safely behind the wall of this castle is the Tal Afar Joint Communications Center, a joint environment where Iraqi Police, Iraqi Army and Coalition Forces work together to monitor the city's police frequencies as well as their power and utilities systems.

An Iraqi Police vehicle climbs the hill to "The Castle" in Tal Afar April 26 on a visit to the Joint Communications Center. Photo by U.S. Navy Journalist 2nd Class John J. Pistone

"A little less than a year ago, it was not safe to walk down the street. Now you look out and there are kids playing," said Tal Afar Mayor Najim through an interpreter. "One of the main reasons for this is the JCC."

In the past, the police did not have an adequate communication system in place, said Najim. They were unable and afraid to respond to even the most serious of crimes like murder or an insurgent placing an improvised explosive device.

"Last year, if a police officer responded to a call, there was a strong possibility that he would be killed himself," Najim said. "He had no way of calling for backup and he was out there by himself."

He said that the terrorists knew this and would try to ambush police officers by calling in false reports.

"Another concern was that our officers could not get to a call quickly, because they did not want to go out on a call alone," said Iraqi Brig. Gen. Wathuq, Ninewa Provincial Directorate of Police, through an interpreter, "and they had to wait for contact with other officers before they went out to investigate."

Wathuq said in the time it took the police to gather an adequate force to investigate a report, the criminals had already left the scene. But that has changed, he said, thanks to the cooperation of the Coalition.

"Now thanks to the JCC we can gather a police force quickly and respond to an incident anywhere in the city, in a few minutes," Wathuq said.

According to Coalition advisors, the key to the JCC is the fact the local police, Iraqi Army and Coalition forces all work in the same room, alongside each other.

"When a call comes in to the police, the Iraqi Army and Coalition forces know about it and they coordinate their efforts to respond to the call," said U.S. Army Capt. David Hutchinson, Tal Afar Police Transition Team Chief.

According to Hutchinson, this system has been the key to making this city safer. He said the police are no longer out there alone, they have the full resources of the Iraqi Army and the Coalition.

"Last year the police were afraid to respond to crimes of any size and now the security situation is one where they can respond to any type of crime, from traffic violations to major crimes," Hutchinson said, "this fact tells us the JCC is working."

Wathiq said last year the police were not getting any domestic violence calls, and now they are. He said this shows that the people believe their police force is working.

"Getting domestic violence calls is a good sign that our efforts are making a difference," said Wathiq. "It is good for the women because they know we will respond, but the husbands that were treating their wives poorly are not too happy about the increased police presence," he said.

Mayor Naim said they have taken other steps to increase security for the citizens of Tal Afar. To limit the possibility of vehicle-borne IEDs, they have passed a law requiring a minimum of two passengers in any vehicle within the city limits.

They have built a sand berm around the city to protect it from indirect fire and they have set up traffic-control points in key areas of the city so no one can enter the city without going through a check point. They have also set up tip hotlines for local citizens to report suspected criminal activity or to get assistance, similar to hotlines used in the U.S.

"We have four different numbers citizens can use to call in emergencies and report crime," said Najim. "We even have a Thuriya (satellite phone) number so no matter what kind of phone they have, they can reach us."

Both Coalition advisors and Iraqi officials agree there is still a lot of work to do and the city is not quite where it needs to be, but it is getting closer everyday.

Najim noted that in a recent speech, President Bush said the city of Tal Afar is a model for success that Coalition and Iraqi leaders will follow in other cities throughout Iraq. Since the president's comments though, Najif said terrorists have attacked the city several times, but he feels that because of the JCC, they were better prepared to react to those attacks and are in a better position to stop further aggression.

"We knew as soon as we heard President Bush's speech that the terrorists would try to make an example of our city," Najim said, "but with the JCC we were able to respond quickly and we have made this city safe again for our children."

Source: MNSTC-I Public Affairs

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