Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Brent Hunt | CAMP TAJI, Iraq – Lt. Ahman from the Saab al Bour Police Station gives the thumbs up...... read more read more
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by Sgt. 1st Class Brent Hunt
1st BCT PAO, 4th Inf. Div.
CAMP TAJI, Iraq – In an effort to make the Taji district north of Baghdad a safer place to live, Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers provided the Iraqi police stations in Taji, Saab al Bour, Mushada and Tarmiya, with 96 new trucks to help the police units in their endeavor to fight crime in the region Saturday.
Soldiers from the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, and the 463rd Military Police Company, which is attached to 1st BCT, are distributing the new trucks, repairing the district's disabled police trucks, and providing police personnel with uniforms and weapons.
"When we arrived here, they (the IPs) were not able to sustain themselves," said 2nd Lt. Mitchell Thompson, platoon leader, 463rd MP Co. "They are now able to sustain operations on their own. For instance, they (the Tarmiya Police Station) have taken over several checkpoints in the Tarmiya district and are now able to maintain numerous patrols throughout the city."
In the year dubbed "Year of the Iraqi police," MND-B Soldiers, along with their Iraqi counterparts, have stepped up efforts to put the Iraqi policemen in the lead for security throughout Baghdad and the surrounding area.
For instance, just seven months ago in Tarmiya, the police station had less than 20 policemen patrolling by foot in the city of more than 35,000 residents. The police had two broken down vehicles, no uniforms, virtually no body armor, and lacked necessities such as bullets and weapons.
The city now has more than 145 Iraqi policemen equipped with new body armor, uniforms, bullets, 1,000 Glocks, 1,000 AK-47s and enough vehicles to conduct combat patrols.
"These vehicles have enough power to chase the bad guys if we have to," said an Iraqi police officer in Tarmiya. "I like these vehicles, and they will be very good for patrols. I also have a vest to protect my body, a Glock to protect myself, a helmet to protect my head and a vehicle to patrol."
Before the police started taking control of security, the Iraqi army and MND-B Soldiers enforced security throughout the region's cities. As the Iraqi police builds in strength and support, the police are taking the lead for security throughout cities in the region.
"I think they (the IPs) have improved dramatically," Thompson added. "Now the police chiefs are taking charge of their stations and telling the policemen what needs to happen – and it does happen."
| Date Taken: | 09.07.2006 |
| Date Posted: | 09.07.2006 08:54 |
| Story ID: | 7644 |
| Location: | TAJI, IQ |
| Web Views: | 140 |
| Downloads: | 65 |
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