The Arab Council in Kirkuk has warned that corruption is rampant in the Kirkuk directorate of police, raising fears that the issue is affecting the security situation in the province.
The warning came after the Kirkuk police command decided to bring back more than 500 members of the police who deserted the service.
In a statement on Sunday, December 8, 2019, the Arab Council also warned of marginalizing the Arab component in the departments of the ministry of interior, and called for a just power distribution in the multi-ethnic province.
“Despite the calls for reform in all government departments institutions where corruption, nepotism and injustice continue to grow, and despite that all have acknowledged that stability cannot be restored to Kirkuk without a just power sharing among its components, Arabs are now being targeted systematically by corrupt people in an attempt to marginalize them, particularly in the departments associated with the ministry of interior,”, according to the statement.
The statement added that “the Arab Council in Kirkuk rejects the assignment of significant positions in the Kirkuk Directorate of Police to officers known for their ethnic fanaticism, and have fought against the Iraqi federal forces on October 16, 2017.”
The Arab Council expressed concern that corruption has “affecteded the security situation, and could affect peaceful coexistence in the province.”
They urged the prime Minister and the minister of the interior to “activate the power sharing principle ensure that the Arab components reclaim positions they were deprived of.”
The Arab Council called on the acting governor of Kirkuk, who is also head of the high security committee of the province to intervene and deliver their demands to all relevant departments, indicating that the committee is in charge of the security dossier in the Kirkuk.
