by Suzanne M. Fournier
Gulf Region Southern District
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Base Camp Adder (Ali Base) Iraq - The Iraqi Highway Patrol was a little known entity under the former regime. It was a small paramilitary-trained police force of approximately 600 officers, driving junk vehicles and operating out of dilapidated buildings.
Since the US Army Corps of Engineers began reconstruction activities in Iraq two years ago, the Iraqi Highway Patrol has made major advancement. Ten times more men and women now serve as Highway Patrol officers. They are trained by the US Army Special Forces and military police on modern apprehension, detection, security and law enforcement techniques to protect, defend and secure the roads of Iraq.
The junk vehicles are gone, replaced by a fleet of new 4-door blue and white Chevrolet pickups, outfitted with blue and red lights, radio systems and spotlights.
Also disappearing are the dilapidated buildings. Currently, safe, secure and professional Highway Patrol facilities are under construction or already occupied so highway patrol officers can enforce law, apprehend criminals and secure highways and roadways.
Thirty-three Iraqi Highway Patrol Stations and six Border-Entry Barracks are identified as needed to provide law enforcement along Iraq's six major highways. The stations are built sequentially to ensure that continuous sections of road remain secure until the entire network is completed. The goal is to have an Iraqi Highway Patrol Station every 50-60 kilometers, starting in the South where three of six stations on Iraqi Highway One are compete and the other three will be finished next month.
Two newly constructed facilities are the $2 million construction projects at Fawwa in Qadisiyah Province and Al-Shaiba in Basrah Province, where two-story Iraqi Highway Police Headquarters buildings are ready for the 160 officers to move into their new quarters.
Another facility just completed is the $2.4 million Iraqi Highway Patrol Station and Border-Entry Barracks at Safwan, in Basrah Province, where two, two-story buildings were constructed to support 404 highway patrol officers who control the Kuwait-Iraq Point of Entry.
Each Highway Police building consists of offices for commanders; conference rooms for meetings; separate sleeping quarters for men and women officers; complete shower and bathroom facilities; fully furnished dining facility and dining areas; separate jail areas for men and women; weapons ranges; covered parking; and a maintenance garage with wash bay and fuel point for the new vehicles.
The facilities are often located in isolated desert terrain, so the buildings are self sustainable with their own generator, back up generator, sanitation system, potable water tanks and surrounded by a double perimeter security wall with lighting, concertina wire and guard towers.
These facilities are designed to sleep 60 male and 10 female patrol officers at the compound while on duty in order to protect the highways, but also to protect patrol officers and their families from intimidation or targeting by terrorists if they had to return to their homes each night.
The Iraqi Highway Patrol faces many challenges. The new government of Iraq has unlicensed drivers, countless broken-down vehicles and Biblical-era donkey-carts all co-existing on highways with modern military vehicles and fuel-tank convoys of 25-50 tractor trailers.
The men and women patrol officers have responsibilities similar to law enforcement in other parts of the world, but they also have to deal with tribal rivalries, loyalties and jurisdictions; dangerous, isolated and extreme-climate deserts; insurgents and terrorists; suicide car bombers; thieves and smugglers; and surveillance for improvised explosive devices or IEDs.
Highway Patrol facilities are constructed under management of the US Army Corps of Engineers using funds from the Multinational Security Transition Command - Iraq.
I imagine the Iraqi HP has got more on its plate to worry about than cars exceeding the speed limit...
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