Successful neighbourhood watch in the north

Abu Diar, was walking home from a friend's house in the northern Iraqi city of Sulaymaniyah when he saw a person in a car acting suspiciously. He called a public helpline for the local security offices, explaining what he had seen. It turned out that his actions had just prevented a car bombing. The helpline is part of a neighbourhood watch project initiated a year ago by Sulaymaniyah governorate, some 381 km from the capital, Baghdad. Officials say that since the helpline started operating, they have seen a 90 percent reduction in crime and attacks in the city. "I can say it was one of the most efficient programmes developed in the north. We are tired of the violence in the country and hope that democracy and peace come to us in its true meaning," Diar told IRIN in Sulaymaniyah. Callers can remain anonymous if they wish when asked for details by operators working at the call centre which is based at a security centre. Officials in the city are surprised at the sheer number of calls the helpline is receiving. "Every day we receive a minimum of 60 phone calls from Sulaymaniyah. Insurgency has decreased in the city as a result. I believe that this project will guarantee peace to our province," Lt. Col. Sagub Muhammad, a senior security officer told IRIN. The centre, equipped with 10 telephone lines, has 20 employees working to answer calls. Muhammad added they occasionally receive phone calls come from outside the city and can encounter difficulties in finding the exact location of the suspected disturbance, but added that they were employing more people to assist them with this. "We will make Sulaymaniyah to the safest city in Iraq, we promise that," Muhammad stated. Local people in the city said they have started to feel a difference in their lives and that everyone in the family joins in keeping a watchful eye. "Every time a stranger's car stops near our house, my five-year-old daughter runs to the telephone telling me that we should call the security for our protection before the car explodes. Although she doesn't really understand entirely what this is about she is aware of keeping safe," Sulana Omar told IRIN. According to Diller Mula, a senior official from the Ministry of Interior (MoI) in northern Iraq, said officers taking part in the security programme are being trained by specialised forces. "At our check points which surround the city, anyone entering Sulaymaniyah receives information about this project and is informed about phone numbers to be used in case of any suspicious incident. This city is turning out to be the safest in Iraq, free from the bloodshed that has taken place countrywide," Mula added. A similar system was implemented in the capital, Baghdad in December 2004. However, people were too afraid of revenge attacks by insurgents and the scheme had not been as successful, officials said.