12.1 |
Security Sector Reform
525.
The minutes of
the Security Sector Reform Meeting474
of 4 December
recorded that
“not much
work had been done in this area” and that “there still did not
appear to be a
definitive
US policy position”.475
526.
On 25 February
2004, minutes of the Security Sector Reform Meeting
recorded
that
Mr Gareth Davies, Senior Prisons Adviser to CPA(South), was
arranging training
for Iraqi
Correctional Service officers.476
Canada had
also “hinted” that it might support
training.
Two prisons in MND(SE) were being
“refurbished/rebuilt”.
527.
Canada’s offer
to deliver training was confirmed at the Security Sector
Reform
528.
For the same
meeting, Mr Davies had prepared a paper (dated 29 March) on
the
progress of
the Prisons Project in CPA(South). He noted that:
•
The “clear
separation of function” between the police, courts and prisons
had
been “more
difficult practically than envisaged” but was now “largely
complete”.
•
Of the five
facilities within the UK’s AOR, one was functioning (al‑Maqil)
and
the other
four (al‑Minah, Basra Central, al‑Amarah and Nasiriyah) were
under
development
or construction.
•
The
recruitment and training of managers and staff for the increase
in
establishments
should not be difficult, but funding “Pay Running
Costs”
remained a
problem.
•
On
safeguards for the treatment of prisoners there was “little or no
National
Correctional
Policy emanating from Baghdad”, resulting in “serious” policy
gaps,
such as
disciplinary codes for both prisoners and staff.
529.
Mr Davies
described al‑Maqil as being “in a very poor state of repair” and
“close
to
collapse”. Problems with sewage had been exacerbated by severe
overcrowding:
in January
the prison’s population reached 478 against a capacity of 230. Part
of the
reason for
that rise had been a “weakness in the due process” where prisoners
were
kept on
remand without judicial review. A system of referral to judges had
helped
alleviate
the problem.
530.
Mr Davies
submitted a report in April 2004 with recommendations for staffing
levels
after 30
June.478
A joint bid
from the FCO and DFID to the Global Conflict
Prevention
Pool (GCPP)
fund for nine prison officers to be both monitors and advisers was
planned.
The
Government has been unable to supply a copy of Mr Davies’
report.
474
The
Security Sector Reform Meeting was a regular meeting of policy
officers that discussed a range of
SSR
matters, including police training, military reform, prisons and
the judiciary. It was chaired by the FCO
and
attended by the MOD, DFID, the Home Office and (occasionally) HM
Customs and Excise.
475
Minutes, 4
December 2003, Security Sector Reform Meeting.
476
Minutes, 25
February 2004, Security Sector Reform Meeting.
477
Minutes, 5
April 2004, Security Sector Reform Meeting attaching Report Davies,
29 March 2004,
‘A Summary
Against Scope of Progress in the Prisons Project in
CPA(S)’.
478
Minutes, 22
April 2004, Security Sector Reform meeting.
171