Entrants Are Officers First And Foremost
Coalition Forces were very involved in forming a new police academy at Kirkuk earlier this year. Standard requirements for application at the Kirkuk have been loosely based on the population make up of the province. Facility standards are based on a team approach, one loosely supervised by Coalition Transitional team members.
“The major groups we serve are Turkmen, Kurd, and Arab. We strive to hire trainees in the same rough percentage as is found in our community,†said Colonel Samir Murshed Khushid. Khushid is Kirkuk Police Academy Commander, and a soldier formerly from Peshmerga.
Sergeant 1st Class Kevin Aker said “Do not ask Samir or any of his fellow recruits what religion or heritage they are, it would offend them.â€Â Sgt Aker is assigned to 1st Brigade, 10th Mountain Division PPTT team.
Khushid, Kirkuk Police Commandant says, “Protect the people, what race or ethnicity they are or belong to does not matter.â€Â “We hire according to standards given to us by Iraqi Interior Ministry, they want our graduates to reflect the percentages found in our society,†said Commandant Khushid.
The ethnic percentage of the Kirkuk area is: Arabic – twenty-nine percent; Turkmen- twenty-nine percent, and Kurdish citizens- forty percent.
“Courses being taught here at the police academy include running, marching, drills, all of which are designed to foster a focus on teamwork and a team approach to police work,†said Sgt Aker. “Most of the situations covered in training are ones that a trained IP (Iraqi Policeman) will likely encounter on a typical day,†said Aker.
