Red Cap murders inquest
By VICTORIA RAYMOND
Sun Online
Red Caps is the nickname of Britain's Royal Military Police.
THE families of six Red Caps killed by an Iraqi mob are hopeful that an inquest hearing will get to the truth of what happened.
Reg Keys, whose 20-year-old son Thomas was one of those who died, said the men had been sent into a "death trap" when they moved in to Al Majar Al Kabir police station in June 2003.
He said the Army's "cavalier attitude" and a "lack of duty to care" for the men, all from 156 Provost Company, would become apparent in the inquest, which began today in Oxford.
Mr Keys said he was confident that Coroner Nicholas Gardiner would call for a public inquiry into the deaths on concluding the inquiry, which he believed would reveal "some surprises".
The commander in charge of the six Red Caps today denied claims that the men were sent into a volatile "powder keg".
Colonel Thomas A Beckett, the inquest's first witness, was challenged that the Royal Military Police were set an "impossible and impracticable task".
He painted a picture of a population split down political, religious and tribal lines, in which there was approximately one Kalashnikov machine gun for every head of population - about 500,000 in the Maysan province.
He said: "The whole of society had fragmented (after Saddam fell). The incident would never have happened if the community had not been so well-armed."
But he said there was no previous history of attacks against troops and that he had genuinely believed this was the "most benign province in Iraq".
"The intent (of the locals) was to work with the coalition," he said.
"My estimate of the problems - and this was supported by the local leaders and, I believe, at divisional level - is benign but fragile."
Col Beckett said the Iraqi police were either Ba'athists from Saddam's regime or volunteers with no training.
He said that following the end of hostilities against Saddam, infantry was not needed so much as engineers to rebuild the country and Royal Military Police to train up an Iraqi force.
Initially they were assigned the whole of 156 Provost Company, in which the six dead Red Caps served, but this meant only 20 to 25 soldiers to train up the entire provincial police force.
"At one stage I was told I was going to get two teams of RMPs but it was reduced to one," said Col Beckett. "I would have preferred two. I would have preferred more."
Speaking shortly after the inquest opened, Mr Keys said the Army's Board of Inquiry report, released 12 months ago, was insufficient, and added: "For the Army to say these deaths could not have been prevented is simply not true - this town was a death trap."
Corporal Paul Graham Long, 24, from Colchester along with Sgt Simon Hamilton-Jewell, 41, from Chessington, Surrey; Corporal Russell Aston, 30, from Swadlincote, Derbyshire; Corporal Simon Miller, 21, from Washington, Tyne & Wear; Lance-Corporal Benjamin John McGowan Hyde, 23, from Northallerton, North Yorkshire; and Lance-Corporal Thomas Richard Keys, 20, from Bala, Wales, were all killed by the mob.
Mr Gardiner adjourned the inquest until tomorrow, when pathological and ballistics evidence will be heard.
thesun.co.uk
---------------------------------------------
The story of the Red Caps -
The Royal Military Police (RMP) is the military police branch of the British Army.
Its members are generally known as 'Redcaps' (or Red Caps) because they wear red-topped peaked caps or red berets. Their stable belt was red until 1992, when they were federated into the Adjutant General's Corps. It is now blue and red. Like other military police around the world, they used to wear white webbing and gaiters when on duty, although nowadays these is rarely worn.
----------------------------
Role
The RMP's principal duties are:
*The provision of garrison police facilities;
*Law enforcement and crime prevention; and liaison with Home Office and other police forces worldwide when Army interests are involved or suspected;
*Tactical military police support to the Army in all phases of military operations.
*The provision of close protection worldwide to those deemed by the Ministry of Defence to warrant such.
RMP personnel are not sworn in as constables and only have police powers whilst dealing with military personnel or dependents or overseas contractors sponsored by the Army. The RMP do not have to be on Ministry of Defence land to exercise their authority.
----------------------------------
History
The post of Provost Marshal has existed since William of Cassingham was appointed by Henry III on 28 May 1241 (the original title was Sergeant of the Peace), and he has always had men detached to assist him (an arrangement formalised by the Duke of Wellington in the Peninsular War), but only since 1877 has there actually existed a regular corps of military police. In that year, the Military Mounted Police (MMP) was formed, followed by the Military Foot Police (MFP) in 1885. Although technically two independent corps, these two effectively functioned as a single organisation. In 1926 they were fully amalgamated to form the Corps of Military Police (CMP). In recognition of their service in the Second World War, they became the Corps of Royal Military Police (RMP) on 28 November 1946 under Army Order 167.
On 6 April 1992 they lost their status as an independent corps and, together with the Military Provost Staff Corps, became the Provost Branch of the Adjutant General's Corps. They were, however, permitted to retain the name Royal Military Police, together with their cap badge and other distinctive insignia (such as the red cap).
wikipedia.org
By VICTORIA RAYMOND
Sun Online
Red Caps is the nickname of Britain's Royal Military Police.
THE families of six Red Caps killed by an Iraqi mob are hopeful that an inquest hearing will get to the truth of what happened.
Reg Keys, whose 20-year-old son Thomas was one of those who died, said the men had been sent into a "death trap" when they moved in to Al Majar Al Kabir police station in June 2003.
He said the Army's "cavalier attitude" and a "lack of duty to care" for the men, all from 156 Provost Company, would become apparent in the inquest, which began today in Oxford.
Mr Keys said he was confident that Coroner Nicholas Gardiner would call for a public inquiry into the deaths on concluding the inquiry, which he believed would reveal "some surprises".
The commander in charge of the six Red Caps today denied claims that the men were sent into a volatile "powder keg".
Colonel Thomas A Beckett, the inquest's first witness, was challenged that the Royal Military Police were set an "impossible and impracticable task".
He painted a picture of a population split down political, religious and tribal lines, in which there was approximately one Kalashnikov machine gun for every head of population - about 500,000 in the Maysan province.
He said: "The whole of society had fragmented (after Saddam fell). The incident would never have happened if the community had not been so well-armed."
But he said there was no previous history of attacks against troops and that he had genuinely believed this was the "most benign province in Iraq".
"The intent (of the locals) was to work with the coalition," he said.
"My estimate of the problems - and this was supported by the local leaders and, I believe, at divisional level - is benign but fragile."
Col Beckett said the Iraqi police were either Ba'athists from Saddam's regime or volunteers with no training.
He said that following the end of hostilities against Saddam, infantry was not needed so much as engineers to rebuild the country and Royal Military Police to train up an Iraqi force.
Initially they were assigned the whole of 156 Provost Company, in which the six dead Red Caps served, but this meant only 20 to 25 soldiers to train up the entire provincial police force.
"At one stage I was told I was going to get two teams of RMPs but it was reduced to one," said Col Beckett. "I would have preferred two. I would have preferred more."
Speaking shortly after the inquest opened, Mr Keys said the Army's Board of Inquiry report, released 12 months ago, was insufficient, and added: "For the Army to say these deaths could not have been prevented is simply not true - this town was a death trap."
Corporal Paul Graham Long, 24, from Colchester along with Sgt Simon Hamilton-Jewell, 41, from Chessington, Surrey; Corporal Russell Aston, 30, from Swadlincote, Derbyshire; Corporal Simon Miller, 21, from Washington, Tyne & Wear; Lance-Corporal Benjamin John McGowan Hyde, 23, from Northallerton, North Yorkshire; and Lance-Corporal Thomas Richard Keys, 20, from Bala, Wales, were all killed by the mob.
Mr Gardiner adjourned the inquest until tomorrow, when pathological and ballistics evidence will be heard.
thesun.co.uk
---------------------------------------------
The story of the Red Caps -
The Royal Military Police (RMP) is the military police branch of the British Army.
Its members are generally known as 'Redcaps' (or Red Caps) because they wear red-topped peaked caps or red berets. Their stable belt was red until 1992, when they were federated into the Adjutant General's Corps. It is now blue and red. Like other military police around the world, they used to wear white webbing and gaiters when on duty, although nowadays these is rarely worn.
----------------------------
Role
The RMP's principal duties are:
*The provision of garrison police facilities;
*Law enforcement and crime prevention; and liaison with Home Office and other police forces worldwide when Army interests are involved or suspected;
*Tactical military police support to the Army in all phases of military operations.
*The provision of close protection worldwide to those deemed by the Ministry of Defence to warrant such.
RMP personnel are not sworn in as constables and only have police powers whilst dealing with military personnel or dependents or overseas contractors sponsored by the Army. The RMP do not have to be on Ministry of Defence land to exercise their authority.
----------------------------------
History
The post of Provost Marshal has existed since William of Cassingham was appointed by Henry III on 28 May 1241 (the original title was Sergeant of the Peace), and he has always had men detached to assist him (an arrangement formalised by the Duke of Wellington in the Peninsular War), but only since 1877 has there actually existed a regular corps of military police. In that year, the Military Mounted Police (MMP) was formed, followed by the Military Foot Police (MFP) in 1885. Although technically two independent corps, these two effectively functioned as a single organisation. In 1926 they were fully amalgamated to form the Corps of Military Police (CMP). In recognition of their service in the Second World War, they became the Corps of Royal Military Police (RMP) on 28 November 1946 under Army Order 167.
On 6 April 1992 they lost their status as an independent corps and, together with the Military Provost Staff Corps, became the Provost Branch of the Adjutant General's Corps. They were, however, permitted to retain the name Royal Military Police, together with their cap badge and other distinctive insignia (such as the red cap).
wikipedia.org