BAGHDAD — Iraqi police no longer work with Western mentors due to fears insurgents have infiltrated the Iraqi security agenices.

Officials said Western mentors were withdrawn from police units in late 2004. They said the lack of mentors has hampered the operations of five police academies established by the United States to help create an effective Iraqi security force.

The Iraqi Interior Ministry plans to vet all 130,000 police officers for ties to insurgency groups. Officials said about one-quarter of the force is to be dismissed.

[On Tuesday, the Shi'ite community was again targeted by an insurgency suicide bomber, Middle East Newsline reported. An insurgent detonated a car full of explosives outside the office of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, a leading Shi'ite party that was participating in the elections. At least two people were killed. Earlier, a Shi'ite politician was assassinated in Baghdad.]

Western instructors have continued to train Iraqi police cadets in neighboring Jordan. The instructors have been under contract from the the U.S. firm Dynacorp in what officials deemed a successful project.

"As is true with the Iraqi army, Iraqi police officers perform superbly when properly trained, equipped and led," Maj. Gen. John Batiste, commander of the U.S. Army's 1st Infantry Division, said. "The key is finding the right leaders, and we have done just that in the towns and cities in our area of operations."

But in Iraq, Westerners no longer work closely with Iraqi cadets. In October 2004, about 1,500 Western and foreign police mentors were withdrawn because of fears of insurgency attacks.

"We can't monitor their effectiveness without getting up close," a U.S. official said. "But we can't get up close because we know that some of them are Saddam agents."

The most dangerous areas for international instructors is the Anbar province. In 2004, the Samara police force disbanded as it was determined to have worked with Sunni insurgents. The U.S.-led coalition and the Interior Ministry have been trying to rebuild the force and 350 recruits were sent to Baghdad and Amman for training. Officials said international advisers plan to provide additional training when the recruits complete their current courses.

In mid-January the Iraqi Police Service graduated more than 1,600 officers from basic police training and four specialized policing courses.

In Amman, the Jordan International Police Training Center graduated 1,440 new officers and in Baghdad, 80 cadets completed advanced courses at the Adnan Training Facility. Officials said 99 graduated from the Al Kut Regional Training Academy.

Specialized police courses include basic criminal investigation, police mid-level leadership, incident command system and police internal controls.

Officials said the one- or two-week specialty courses have sought to augment the eight-week basic police training new recruits undergo prior to service and the three-week training course for prior service officers.