Thursday, October 02, 2003, 12:00 A.M. Pacific
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Angry job seekers storm Baghdad police station
By Tyler Marshall
Los Angeles Times
BAGHDAD, Iraq — Police fired warning shots yesterday to disperse a group of more than 100 enraged job applicants who had attacked a police station in the heart of Baghdad and set two cars on fire because promised jobs as law-enforcement recruits had failed to materialize.
No one died, but two people reportedly were injured.
The protesters, who were seeking work with the fledgling Facilities Protection Service, which guards banks, schools, hospitals and other government installations, claimed they had been cheated by corrupt officers. They said they had paid big bribes to officers who promised to shepherd their applications through a selection process. Some said they paid the equivalent of $100 and were forced to pledge half their first paychecks to recruiting officers, yet they were given no jobs.
In the northern city of Mosul, police also fired warning shots to disperse hundreds of jobless Iraqis who marched to an employment office and City Hall to demand jobs. The Associated Press reported protesters also said they had been forced to pay bribes for jobs that never materialized.
The mini-riot in Baghdad reflected a rising sense of desperation among young men in postwar Iraq, where unemployment is estimated to be 60 percent. It also underscored the corruption that, despite the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime, remains a serious problem.
"This was an extremely corrupt society, and it's silly to suppose that just because the coalition is here that all corruption is rooted out," said Charles Heatly, a spokesman for the U.S.-led occupation administration. "What's important is that action is being taken against those who are found corrupt. It won't happen overnight, but we take this very seriously."
"I paid what they asked of me, (but) all they say is 'come next week, come tomorrow,' " said 25-year-old Sami Kadhim, a recent college graduate.
Added another, who did not identify himself: "They are taking 50, 60, 70,000 dinars (about $20 to $35) and saying, in three to four days you'll get a job. If you don't pay, we'll just throw away your application."
At one point, Baghdad police Chief Ahmed Kadhim Ibraheem tried to calm the crowd, pledging that all applicants eventually would be hired. His comments were met with skepticism. One of the applicants left the scene shouting, "He's a liar — they're all liars — and I'll say it to his face!"
In interviews, recently recruited members of the Facilities Protection Service indicated that recruits hired by the U.S.-led coalition forces did not have to pay bribes, but Iraqi officials frequently demanded them.
A local newspaper, al-Ta'akhi, reported yesterday that 200 police officers had been arrested on suspicion of corruption. The report carried few details.
In Baghdad, Samir Shakir Mahmoud, a member of the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council, admitted there were problems with the new police force but said Iraqi officials "are doing our best" to improve the situation.
Los Angeles Times Baghdad Bureau researcher Said al-Rifai contributed to this report.