Sussex policeman heads to Basra

It may not be everyone's preferred destination but Sussex policeman Alan Costello has moved to Iraq, he’s swapped Friday nights in Brighton for Basra.

As Victoria Heath reports from Meridian TV Alan is offering support to the Iraq security forces on community policing. The challenges that arise from the relocation vary from the heat and flies to the very real possibility of rocket attacks. Scary stuff indeed.

Nevertheless, Alan recognises the importance of his role in rebuilding the country’s infrastructure, but is under no illusion that moving Sussex policing to Basra will not solve the inherent problems. Instead, he understands the importance of an Iraqi-led solution supported by the work he and others from our own police service can offer.

To date the project has seen over 1000 Iraqis train in skills relevant to establish a police force and it is thanks to the likes of Alan who you can hear discussing his work here.