While this is a city whose residents view the police with suspicion, Basrans do take some pride in the city’s Criminal Identification Division (CID), the police forensics unit. “They do good work,” says Saafir, a driver for a Western nongovernmental organization. “They are like America’s FBI.” But unlike America’s G-men, these crime specialists not only fight a low-level insurgency but a debilitating shortage of resources, training, and funding that would stymie even Sherlock Holmes. They’re not alone: The lack of know-how and equipment at investigative units in Basra, Baghdad, Hilla, Kirkuk, and Mosul hamper the ability of Iraqi police to stem the bombings and street crime that plagues this country. Full Story
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