British Police Walk The Streets In Basra

ACC leads a team of 16 UK police officers and they have been walking the streets of Basra...

In a move that would have been unthinkable a few months ago, UK police officers have been walking the streets of Basra with their Iraqi counterparts.

Leading the team of sixteen police officers deployed in Iraq is Assistant Chief Constable Geoff Cooper of South Wales Police who is seconded to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Levels of violence in the southern Iraqi city in the past would have meant such a visit was impossible.

However, due to the improving security situation ACC Cooper and Chief Inspector Alan Costello from Sussex Police, together with the Basra Chief of Police, Major General Adel Dahham, have been talking to local people to develop the concept of Community Policing.

ACC Cooper said, “It’s an absolutely tremendous feeling because being here on the streets of Basra at this moment in time just shows how much the security situation has improved.”

Read the full article on PoliceOracle.com click here

Policeman swaps South Wales for streets of Basra

A SOUTH Wales policeman is patrolling the streets of Iraq. Assistant Chief Constable Geoff Cooper, 49, has been posted to Basra alongside 15 other British police officers as part of their secondment to the Foreign Office.

Mr Cooper, who is married and lives in Cardiff, said: “It’s an absolutely tremendous feeling because being here on the streets of Basra just shows how much the security situation has improved.”

It is the first time British police have been able to patrol Iraq’s second city alongside their Iraqi counterparts, including over the Eid celebrations.

Mr Cooper, who has been working in the Middle East as the UK’s chief police adviser for the past seven months, said: “It was a privilege to be able to share the joy of families celebrating the festivities, which would have previously been impossible.

“Our mission is about listening to the needs of the Iraqi police and supporting them to develop Iraqi systems and processes, which will stand the test of time.”

For the full story on Wales online click here

Read more on News Wales online here

Community Policing in Basra

In a move that would have been unthinkable a few months ago, British police officers have been walking the streets of Basra with their Iraqi counterparts.


Following a meeting with Major General Adel of the Iraqi Police Service, Assistant Chief Constable Geoff Cooper and Chief Inspector Alan Costello walked along the banks of the Sha’at Al Arab waterway.



In doing so they demonstrated the development of the Iraqi Police Service in their efforts to increase public and community support.

Iraq to promote its tourist potential

Basra could become a jumping off point for tourists while its surrounding marshlands could become a haven for bird watchers, British officials have said.

The suggestion comes as the Iraqi government starts to explore ways to exploit the tourism possibilities in the war-torn country, including rides on Saddam Hussein's presidential train, following a reduction in the violence that has raged for the last five years.

Nigel Hayward, Britain's Consul General for southern Iraq, said Basra's port could be turned into a haven for cruise ships, offering a gateway to the historic sites of ancient Mesopotamia just a few hours north of the city.

They include the ancient city of Babylon - famous for its hanging gardens - and the town of Ur, located near the mouth of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers.

Read the full article on the Daily Telegraph web site here

Youth-into-work scheme at Khor Az Zubayr

Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Iraq, Christopher Prentice, was in Basra this week to visit the Khor Az Zubayr VOTEC, a new youth-into-work scheme aimed at tackling the high levels of unemployment amongst the city's young people.

The Basra Development Commission has masterminded the project with 50 local employers. Up to 500 trainees aged 16 to 30 will start vocational courses in October at three colleges that are being supported by the city's private sector.

In time it is expected that each of the colleges will take between 3 to 4,000 trainees a year. The UK Government is providing funding of £250,000 to help the scheme get off the ground.

Basra calm offers better future

In late August Mike Sergeant from BBC News visited Basra.

For most of the past five years, Basra was more of a battleground than a business centre. After many false starts, British and Iraqi officials say they are finally seeing signs of change.

While here in Basra the BBC and FT travelled with a British businessman Michael Wareing, who is also the co-chairman of the Basra Development Commission - the body overseeing reconstruction efforts here. Find out what the BBC and FT made of the trip:

For the full article click - Basra calm offers better future
The FT also visited - read their article and see pictures of the trip
For the media ops video cast on www.youtube.com/basrablog