UK 'failing' to police Basra

Iraqi police are working alongside British

A leading Northern Ireland police chief has attacked the UK Government for "not providing the necessary help to maintain law and order in Iraq".

Assistant Chief Constable Stephen White has told BBC Northern Ireland's Spotlight programme he needed more resources to police the city of Basra in southern Iraq.

He is serving as the Director of Law and Order for the region - a senior position in the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA).

The senior officer said while he had expected a contingent of about 1,500 international recruits, he had a team of just 15.

Mr White told the BBC: "If people are sitting in Whitehall, or sitting in the shire counties of England thinking we had better not take any risks, it's too dangerous for UK police officers, I'm embarrassed as a professional police officer.

"I can understand why people are concerned. It is a dangerous place and people are being killed here, but at the end of the day our job is to minimise that risk and try to do something that makes it safer eventually for everyone."

Mr White - who has extensive experience in overseas policing and major events in Northern Ireland - was appointed to his current post by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

I believe that there's a place here for, not just the UK police, but police experts from around the world and that's what I think should happen ACC Stephen White

However, he told Spotlight that since assuming the role he had been shocked by the limited backing from the authorities.

Order could only be restored in Basra with the aid of more international police officers in order to meet the most serious challenge of growing crime and tribal strife, he said.

While attacks against coalition forces have declined in southern Iraq, there are still regular gunfights in downtown areas, said Mr White.

"I believe that there's a place here for, not just the UK police, but police experts from around the world and that's what I think should happen, not holding off until things get better, because they may not get better."

Spotlight can be seen at 2235 BST on BBC1 Northern Ireland.