12.1 |
Security Sector Reform
309.
The only
comment on the plan seen by the Inquiry came from CC Kernaghan
who
expressed
concerns about the ICPF, writing:
“To avoid
problems later on, this concept requires thought and staff work
now.” 272
310.
The Inquiry
has not been able to establish what became of that plan: it has
not
seen any
further reference to it in contemporary papers.
311.
At a video
conference with President Bush on 13 October, Mr Blair
stressed the
importance
he attached to Iraqiisation of the police and ICDC.273
312.
By mid‑October
no agreed CPA policing strategy had been produced. Despite
that,
on 17
October an update from Mr Straw’s office to No.10 stated: “We
judge that the
Coalition
now has a credible and deliverable strategy to train 30,000 Iraqi
police over the
next
year.” 274
By that
stage around 40,000 police officers were considered to have
been
trained.
313.
Mr Straw
told the Inquiry that he considered that judgement to be
“reasonable” at
the time,
but that with hindsight he could see that it was
not.275
Following
US/CPA/UK discussions in Amman and London on international police
trainers,
lobbying
efforts were agreed and shared with Sir Jeremy Greenstock and
DCC Brand on
3
October.276
The UK was
to act as a “clearing house” for offers of assistance from
EU
Member
States plus Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa. The US
would be
approaching
other members of the international community.
The Police
Contributors Conference, originally planned for 30 June, was held
on
20 October
in London and hosted by the FCO.277
It was
attended by representatives from
EU Member
and Accession States, the European Council, Canada, Australia,
Jordan and
Singapore.
The focus of the event appears to have been to encourage countries
to deploy
police
trainers to staff the training facility in Jordan (see Box, Police
training academies’),
rather than
into Iraq. “Firm” pledges of support in the form of trainers for
the Jordan
facility
were received from Canada (20), Poland (10) and the Czech Republic
(10), with
other
countries reported to be likely to decide on contributions after
the Madrid Donors’
Conference
(later that week).
272
Email
Kernaghan to Home Office [junior official], 22 September 2003,
‘Iraq – Recent Developments’.
273
Letter
Cannon to Adams, 13 October 2003, ‘Iraq: Prime Minister’s
Video‑Conference with President
Bush, 13
October’.
274
Letter
Sinclair to Sheinwald, 17 October 2003, ‘Iraq: Security and
Policing’.
275
Public
hearing, 2 February 2011, page 140.
276
Telegram 90
FCO London to UKRep Iraq, 3 October 2003, ‘Iraq: Iraq Police
Training in Jordan’.
277
Telegram
101 FCO London to UKRep Iraq, 21 October 2003, ‘Iraq: Iraq Police
Contributors
Conference:
20 October, London’.
127