BAGHDAD — Iraqi police are in far better shape now than two years ago, and corruption within the force is declining, according to the general director of Iraq’s Criminal Investigation Department.
Maj. Gen. Dhaya Hussein Al-Kanany credits the U.S. Army for establishing Iraq’s CID and making raids more effective. His department conducts counterterrorism operations and includes special task forces to investigate assassinations, abductions, financial crime, organized crime and illegal smuggling.
Maj. Pete Reyman, the 18th Military Police Brigade’s officer in charge of police transition teams working with Iraq’s CID, said the coalition provided methods and advice, but it’s the Iraqis who are making it work. They’ve also gotten better at documenting evidence to prevent cases from being tossed out on legal technicalities.
“He has a very robust system in place,” Reyman said of Al-Kanany. “The systems approach is working in this case. A lot of that is by virtue of his leadership. We provided the tools, and he’s using those tools very effectively.”
Al-Kanany said Iraq’s sectarian violence often created divisions within his own department, but that’s changed and the factions have become more unified.
“We’re now looking more like one organization,” he added.
Last year, he played host to the first summit for the nation’s 11 provincial CID commanders. That opened up information-sharing channels and helped streamline the department’s investigative processes, U.S. and Iraqi officials said.
Eager to capitalize on security gains in the last six months, Al-Kanany said he plans to open seven more CID offices, including two in Baghdad that will specialize in fighting auto theft and tracking vehicles involved in crimes. In addition, the Iraqi police’s traffic directorate is working to institute vehicle registration nationwide.
Iraqis as a whole are optimistic about the future and there is broader support for the nation’s security forces, the general director said.
“Iraqis feel a sense of relief because they’re no longer under control of the Baathists,” Al-Kanany said through a translator. “They are looking ahead to positive things and a better life. They have more confidence in Iraqi authorities.”
He praised Awakening Councils, or “concerned local citizens” as the U.S. military calls them, for their assistance in stabilizing the country, saying Shiites have helped neutralize Mahdi fighters while Sunnis go after al-Qaida in Iraq.
“That’s why the security situation is improving,” he added. “It’s the first step forward for stability in this country. We’re feeling it. People realize enough is enough. Now, they’re able to go to the market again and do the things they did before.”
Iraqi police felt obligated to work under the Baath party, Al-Kanany said. They returned to duty about 10 days after Saddam Hussein’s regime was toppled in 2003, he added, but they lacked direction and purpose.
The U.S. Army helped Iraq’s law enforcement chart a new course, he said.
“Coalition forces lifted up our spirits and enthusiasm to get back to work,” he recalled. “We felt it from day one. … Coalition forces did a tremendous job supporting us from A to Z.”
