BAGHDAD, Iraq (June 8, 2008) — Baghdad Police College broke ground for a new campus to be known as Baghdad Police College East June 5.
When completed next year, the new facility will have 19 buildings for training and housing Iraqi Police. The new $35 million facility will accommodate 2,000 recruits and 200 instructor staff. There will be nine student barracks, four instructor barracks, one laundry and one dining facility, two large classroom buildings, one multi-purpose facility and one administration building.
The facility will be constructed on the former polo field of Baghdad Police College, adjacent to the present campus. The new BPC East campus also will have a large parade field and soccer field.
“This represents a giant leap forward for the Iraqi police,” said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Michael Jones, director general of the Directorate of Interior Affairs that provides assistance in training the Iraqi Police.
“The picture we see here is that this new facility will train many Shurta [policemen] in the months to come who in turn will join other courageous policemen in Iraq who are making a difference for the people of Iraq,” Jones said. “This facility will help make the Iraqi Police better.”
Jones also praised Iraqi Police Maj. Gen. Dr. Jassim “for having the vision to accelerate the training for the Iraqi Police.”
“The Iraqi Police attending the new training facility here will be able to share their knowledge with other IPs in order to secure Iraq,” said Jassim.
Jassin said there are 17 new police training centers under construction or renovation now in Iraq. The Multi-National Security Transition Command-Iraq will fund seven of the projects and the Ministry of Interior will finance 11 construction projects for building the new training centers.
Over the next year, the goal is to increase Shurta training by adding 9,100 seats a year to Iraqi Police training academies. The Ministry of Interior has budgeted approximately $160 million this year for this major expansion that will build many new facilities around the country.