The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
aim should
be to leave an IPS comparable to other competent police forces
in
the region.”
933.
On 9
September, Mr Quarrey provided Mr Blair with a number of
weekly reports.880
On the
covering note he listed a number of causes for concern including:
the “apparent
involvement
of members of Basra Police in attacks against the MNF, and a claim
from
the Basra
Chief of Police that only 500 out of 12,000 Basra Police are loyal
to him”.
934.
Mr Quarrey
concluded by saying:
“We still
do not have the comprehensive picture that we need of what is
going
on in
Basra. Kim Howells visits next week. I have spoken to his office
today and
emphasised
that you are personally very concerned about the situation and that
we
need a
serious report from him on this.”
935.
Mr Blair’s
manuscript comments said: “This is v.worrying. It all depends on
the ISF
being built
up credibly.”881
936.
On 22 August
2005, Chief Inspector Barry Pollin, the Senior Police Adviser
in
MND(SE),
produced a report on the impact of political parties and tribes on
the IPS
in
MND(SE).882
That paper
was circulated to Iraq Senior Official Group members
on
14 September,
along with the Transitional Plan (as described earlier in this
Section)
which was
to be considered out of committee.883
The paper
produced by Chief Inspector Barry Pollin, the Senior Police Adviser
in
MND(SE), on
22 August 2005, included an annex on extra‑judicial justice, which
stated
that it was
important for that issue to be “thoroughly addressed” given those
influences
were
“notoriously strong” in the South‑East.884
The annex
stated that a void within the Iraqi Law on criminal proceedings
allowed for the
use of
tribal justice through agreement between the tribes of the
aggrieved party and the
perpetrator.
In the majority of cases, that involved payment of financial
compensation,
although
other resolutions, such as arranged marriages, were also
known.
880
Minute
Quarrey to Prime Minister, 9 September 2005, ‘Iraq
Update’.
881
Manuscript
comment Blair on Minute Quarrey to Prime Minister, 9 September
2005, ‘Iraq Update’.
882
Paper
Pollin, 22 August 2005, ‘The Impact of Political and Tribal Matters
on the Iraq Police Service in
South‑East
Iraq’.
883
Letter
Cabinet Office [junior official] to Asquith, 14 September 2005,
‘Iraq: Senior Officials’.
884
Report,
‘Annex B – The Judiciary and Extra‑Judicial “Justice”’ attached to
Paper, ‘The Impact of Political
and Tribal
Matters on the Iraqi Police Service in South‑East
Iraq’.
268