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Iraq

IOM Iraq Holds Community Policing Conference on Ninewa [EN/AR]

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Baghdad - IOM Iraq’s Community Policing programme in cooperation with Iraq’s Ministry of Interior held a conference on 20 December 2017 on the promotion of cooperation between law enforcement agents and community members towards peace and security in Ninewa Governorate.

Ninewa was deeply affected by the recent conflict, with heavy damage to its infrastructure – especially in its capital Mosul – and extensive displacement, as more than 941,000 individuals continue to be displaced across the governorate.

IOM Iraq’s Migration Management Unit has been focusing on the implementation of the project “Strengthening Community Policing in Iraq” in retaken areas of Ninewa and other conflict-affected areas since the project began in 2016.

The conference followed a series of activities in November and December that included the establishment of five new Community Policing Forums (CPFs) in Ninewa and training for more than 400 individuals, including police officers, community members and civil society representatives, on applying community policing in a context of post-conflict returns.

The conference was preceded by a three-day workshop exploring the role of women in security dialogue. Over 80 women and men from across Iraq participated, including police, civil society representatives and the community members, to discuss the impact of gender-based violence on community security, the role of women in violent extremism and how women and children affiliated with ISIL should be treated. Workshop participants formed working groups on these topics, and discussed how to implement action plans developed in the event.

The Community Policing conference on Ninewa was held in Baghdad and attended by government officials, notably Mr. Saad Maan, spokesman of the Ministry of Interior, the Head of Community Police Directorate Brigadier General Khalid Al Mhannah, NGO staff and CPFs representatives from Mosul, Fallujah and Baghdad.

Speakers included CPF members from Al-Amiriat Al-Fallujah and Mosul (Baasheka), police officers, community members and civil society organization representatives, who introduced the CP model and discussed the successes and challenges of the CPFs in Ninewa. The conference gave the CPF members the opportunity to network and share experiences.

IOM Iraq Community Policing project is funded by the German Federal Foreign Office.

“The sharing of experiences, successes and challenges of Community Policing Forums in retaken areas will help us to tailor the next phase of implementation of this programme and the follow up actions that will continue to strengthen this model, based on mutual trust and responsibility in Iraq”, said IOM Iraq Chief of Mission Gerard Waite.

“I am very grateful for the cooperation between the Iraq and German governments in the Community Policing project,” said Dr. Cyrill Nunn, German Ambassador to Iraq. “We have high hopes that the success of the project can contribute to the much-needed reconciliation and stabilization in Iraq,” added the German Ambassador, highlighting the valuable contribution of the CP model to the stabilization of the Iraqi social fabric.

CPFs are inclusive platforms that include police, local leadership, civil society organization representatives and community members, where citizens can raise their security concerns. CPFs identify and develop initiatives that lead to safer communities, protect the most vulnerable and enhance cooperation, transparency and mutual trust between these actors. The CP model encourages CPF members to analyze the available resources in their respective communities and to assess the ability of a wide range of actors to find solutions to situations that are potentially dangerous and harmful. As such, CPFs are tools for conflict prevention.

Brigadier General Saad Maan, spokesperson of the Ministry of Interior, thanked the German Government, IOM and guests for their efforts in support of the CP model. “We have been working very hard to put the Iraqi citizens first. There will be no sustainable security in the governorates unless citizens are part of it, and that is exactly the foundation of this initiative, by implementing the CP model across the country, mainly in Ninewa. We have achieved great results in stabilizing the country thanks to the cooperation with our international partners,” said Saad Maan.

A total of 66 CPFs have been established across Iraq; 42 established by IOM’s CP project, and 24 independently established by local police and communities, building on the CPFs model.

For more information please contact:

Sandra Black in IOM Iraq, Tel: +964 751 234 2550, Email: sblack@iom.int