In August-September 2020, UNDP conducted a survey on public perceptions of security and justice service delivery in Iraq. The survey is intended to inform the Government of Iraq’s Security Sector Reform Programme and is a follow-up from a similar survey undertaken in 2019 to allow for comparison and assessment of changes on the ground.

The 2020 survey was undertaken against a background of the COVID-19 health pandemic and the resumption of popular protest movements in the central and southern governorates of Iraq. The survey was administered to a random sample of 6,000 respondents that was representative of community members across six governorates (Anbar, Baghdad, Basra, Karbala, Ninewa and Salah al-Din). The survey sought to ascertain public perceptions of service delivery by security and justice providers over the last six months, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as popular protests, on security and justice service delivery.

Highlights

• Overall perceptions of the quality of Local Police services improved in 2020, compared to 2019. 
• Most respondents accessed services from the Local Police over other security providers, such as the Federal Police, Iraqi Army, and Counter Terrorism Services.
• General perceptions of security service providers, and more specifically the Local Police, are more positive in liberated areas (Anbar, Ninewa and Salah al-Din) in comparison with other governorates, such as Baghdad.
•  Overall perceptions of the quality of justice sector services improved in 2020. The majority of respondents viewed Local Police as a justice service provider.
• The majority of services sought from Local Police by respondents during COVID-19 related to non-criminal incidents.