'Reports of administration for 1918 of divisions and districts of the occupied territories in Mesopotamia. Volume I' [‎227v] (459/470)

All the above, except the Kirkuk town police, are used principally as messengers,
escorts, and postmen. Owing to their constant absence from their headquarters
on duty, no training is practicable; and in no post, except Kirkuk, is there anybody
capable of conducting it. It is, however, hoped shortly to tram at Kirkuk some
N.C.O.’s and selected men in mounted work, and return them to tram ttie rest at
their respective posts. Distances between posts are in every case a tuii day s
journey. The Altun Keupri and Malhah posts were raised in those places, and lack
uniforms
All have rifles, some provided by the Government, some by themselves. The
Kirkuk and Tauq sowars have a skeleton uniform of Kurdish pattern which will be
used for all the sowars of the district, A sowar In the East India Company army and later Indian Army, an ordinary native cavalryman or mounted cavalryman. throughout the district receives
Rs. 50 a month, with free fodder. . , ,
The Kirkuk town police are distributed at headquarters and m tour brancn
police posts in the town. Night street patrols form their chief duty. Two hours a
day (and one extra for N.C.O.s); they are drilled at headquarters by British
N.C.O.s specially retained for this work, and have made remarkably good progress.
They are enlisted for one year, at Its. 40 per month. All have rides, and khaki
uniforms are on the way. # , t , p •
The type of Kurd or Turkoman in this district willing to enlist for a year m tne
police is not a high one. There are trustworthy men, but the majority are otherwise;
and opportunities for misconduct are many. The cure for that lies in heightened
discipline, in the self-respect which drill and uniform will help to produce, and in the
severe and public punishment of detected crimes.
10. Shabanahs. —It has been proposed to form a Shabanah force for the
Kirkuk-Kifri area, with headquarters at Kirkuk. This, however, belongs to a
further report.
11. Labour. -Labour and engineer officers have from time to time raised
labour for military objects. Early in our occupation a branch of the 48th Kurdish
Labour Corps was enrolled in Kirkuk and worked, about 60 strong, for some weeks.
At present practically no native labour is used in Kirkuk, though it is believed that
some will shortly he raised for road work. Elsewhere, work on roads has been done
by labour raised casually in the villages near the work. There exists in the district a
surplus of men who this year have not necessary substance to cultivate, and are
available for casual employment. This fact is responsible for much of the crime.
But the population of the district generally is thin (about 14 to the square mile);
and the labour possibly raisable would not exceed 1,000 men.
12. Miscellaneous : Newspapers.-- The presence of a small but complete press
in Kirkuk lead to the inception of a small daily paper, the “ Kirkuk Star.” The
printer was previously the propagandist agent of the \oung Turks. The paper, which
includes Reuter’s summaries, official announcements, local and Baghdad news and
prices, and contributions by “ Ashraf,” sells fairly well and has a wide area to
monopolise. The circulation should reach four or five hundred. It started in
Arabic, but was changed to the prevailing language, Turkish, at the general wish.
S. H. Longrigg, Capt.,
Assistant Political Officer,
9.1.19. Kirkuk.