Iraqi National Police graduate more than 1800 recruits

Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Anthony Koch | The Iraqi national police graduating class march during their pass and review during the graduation ceremony held at Numaniyah Training Center Jan. 21.  

NUMANIYAH, IRAQ

01.23.2008

Courtesy Story

Multi-National Security Transition Command Iraq Public Affairs

NUMANIYAH, Iraq – The Iraqi national police graduated approximately 1830 recruits from various training courses at Numaniyah National Training Center Jan. 21.

The Iraqi national police host graduation ceremonies for basic recruit training and
specialized training at the site. These graduating classes are unique because the class composition ranged from Sunni, Shia, Kurdish, Turkman and Christian recruits.

The ceremony was attended by U.S. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, Multi-National Force – Iraq commanding general and Jawad al Bolani, Iraqi Minister of Interior.

"We must prohibit partisanship and sectarianism in the ranks of the ministry to gain the public trust," said Bolani. "Our goal is to create a permanent bond with the communities we serve."

The basic recruit training phases included eight blocks of instruction covering democratic policing and human rights, crime, anti-terrorism, survival skills, defensive tactics and firearms training. The specialized training included blocks in firearms, urban operations, search techniques, close quarter tactics, and additional training in leadership and logistics.

The national police have made a concerted effort to recruit a more diverse group of police and remove the sectarian allegations that have challenged the national police over the past two years, and this graduation is an effort to make the national police more representative of the citizens of Iraq.

"We must treat all citizens as being Iraqis, without discrimination in terms of sectarian, ethnic or religious affiliations," said Bolani.

• Date Taken: 01.23.2008
• Date Posted: 01.23.2008 10:58
• Story ID: 15704
• Location: NUMANIYAH, IQ