U.K. Police Advisor: Basra police still rife with sectarian militiamen engaged in violence, murder

In December, British troops raided, then destroyed the al-Jameat police station in Basra for death squad and toruture activities. A similar raid on the National Iraqi Intelligence Agency detention facility in central Basra in March -- again for torture activities -- was angrily denounced by Maliki.

Iraqi police in Basra are continuing to engage in sectarian violence in the city, Britain's chief police adviser in Iraq has warned.

Bedfordshire Police assistant chief constable Mike Colbourne said that many officers owed their allegiance to the city's Shia militias and were involved in crimes ranging from kidnap to murder.

However, he insisted that the situation was improving and he promised that British forces would not withdraw until the Iraqis were ready to take on responsibility for security themselves.

Mr Colbourne said that despite the hardline "no militias" stance taken by the new provincial director of police, Major General Jaleel Khalaf Shuwail, a significant number of officers were still causing problems.

"The corruption that we are talking about does range from financial corruption through to serious offences such as murder, kidnap," he told BBC Radio 4's The World At One.

"There are a number of Iraqi police service officers who are clearly aligned to militias. I think it is fair to say that there is sectarian violence that is being committed by both police officers and other Iraqi security forces officers."

"We know that there are bad apples and there are a significant number of both serving, but also those who have been sacked and retired, officers who continue to agitate and continue to be involved in violence."

Read the rest at the Guardian

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