The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
villa
housing the British Office Baghdad are both guarded by a Gurkha
contingent
supplied
under contract with ArmorGroup.
“Following
the attack on the al‑Rashid Hotel, all other UK civilians in CPA
Baghdad
are
currently accommodated in trailer parks within the Secure Zone. The
units now
benefit
from physical security barriers which protect them against lateral
bomb blast.
However,
they remain vulnerable, particularly to mortar and rocket attack.
We now
have a
green light to proceed with construction of new accommodation under
hard
cover (new
trailers on the ground floor of car park building). This should be
complete
by
mid‑January.
“UK CPA
civilians required to work outside the Secure Zone (eg in Iraqi
ministries)
are
protected in those locations by an Individual Bodyguard also
supplied under
contract by
Control Risks Group. Security for the CPA headquarters in Basra
is
provided by
the British military.
“Close
Protection
“The Head
of the British Office (Chris Segar) and IraqRep (Sir J
Greenstock) are
protected
by a … team from the Royal Military Police Close Protection
Unit.
“Security in
Governorates
“Following
last week’s attack on the Italian Police compound in
Nasariyah,
CPA Baghdad
launched a review of security in the governorates where UK
staff
are
deployed. This review is moving more slowly than we had hoped …
IraqRep
have …
issued specific instructions to UK staff in the governorates to
take extra
security
precautions. Additional physical security measures such as blast
walls,
bomb
shelters, alarm systems and window protection, are also in the
process
of being
implemented.
“UK staff
in the governorates are subject to the same security procedures
and
discipline
as UK staff in Baghdad and Basra (eg armoured cars and
armed
protection
teams). Evacuation plans are being drawn up and
tested.”
244.
Contingency
plans for the phased withdrawal of UK CPA secondees in
Baghdad
were ready
by 1 December.169
245.
Sir Jeremy
Greenstock discussed CPA staffing with Sir Michael Jay
on
12 December.170
He reported
that “a strong spirit of commitment” among UK
secondees
contrasted
with concern about living conditions in Baghdad and apprehension
about
the
reaction of families in the UK to the dangers to which people were
exposed.
169
Minute Dodd
to Sheinwald, 1 December 2003, ‘Iraq: Senior Officials
Group’.
170
Minute Jay
to Parham, 12 December 2003, ‘Conversation with Jeremy Greenstock:
Iraq: Staffing
Issues’.
286