Reference

Glossary

Plain-language definitions of the policing, legal, and emergency terms you may encounter across this portal and in official notices.

32 terms shown

A

ANPR: Automatic Number Plate Recognition — cameras that read vehicle plates to flag stolen cars, wanted vehicles, or expired registration.
Asaish: The internal security service of the Kurdistan Region, responsible for criminal investigation, counter-terrorism, and public safety.

BOLO: "Be On the Lookout" — an alert circulated to officers describing a person or vehicle they should watch for and report if seen.

Chain of custody: The documented trail showing who has handled a piece of evidence, when, and where — essential for court admissibility.
Cordon: A protective perimeter around an incident scene. Inner cordon: operational area; outer cordon: public exclusion.

Dispatch: The act of assigning officers, vehicles, or units to an incident. The 122 command centre handles dispatch in Erbil.
Duty officer: The senior officer responsible for command decisions during a given shift at a station.

Evidence locker: A secured, access-controlled storage facility for physical evidence pending forensic analysis or court use.

FOIA: Freedom of Information Act — the process by which citizens may request access to public records.

Geofence: A virtual boundary on a map. Crossing it can trigger an alert (e.g. an offender breaching an exclusion zone).

Hot spot: A geographic area with a statistically higher rate of a particular crime type over a defined period.

Incident number: A unique reference assigned to every reported incident; quote it when contacting us about your case.

K9 unit: A specialised team pairing handlers with trained dogs for detection (narcotics, explosives) or apprehension.

Mutual aid: An agreement between agencies (police, fire, ambulance) to support each other during major incidents.

Patrol beat: The geographic area a patrol unit is responsible for during its shift.
Phishing: A fraudulent message designed to trick the recipient into revealing passwords, PINs, or bank details.
Priority 1: The highest dispatch priority — used for incidents involving immediate risk to life or serious crime in progress.
Protection order: A court order requiring one person to stay away from, or stop contacting, another. Issued to protect victims of domestic or gender-based violence.

Restraining order: A judicial order prohibiting specified contact or behaviour, often used alongside a protection order.
RFP: Request for Proposals — a public document inviting suppliers to bid on providing goods or services to Asaish.

SAR: Search and Rescue — operations to locate and assist missing or distressed persons in the field.
Search warrant: A judicial authorisation allowing officers to enter and search a specified premises for specified items.
SOP: Standard Operating Procedure — the documented procedure officers follow for a recurring task or scenario.
SOS: An emergency distress signal. The portal's SOS button shares your live location with the nearest dispatcher.
Stop and identify: An officer's authority to ask for identification in defined circumstances. Officers must explain the basis on request.
Subpoena: A formal order to appear before a court or to produce documents or evidence.
Surveillance footage: Recordings from CCTV, body cameras, or dashcams that may form part of an investigation.
Suspect: A person reasonably believed to have committed an offence. A suspect is not the same as a convicted person.

Traffic stop: A brief detention of a vehicle by an officer to address a suspected traffic violation or check documents.

Victim impact statement: A written or verbal statement made by a victim describing how an offence has affected them, considered by the court at sentencing.

Wanted person: An individual sought by police in connection with a criminal investigation. See the Wanted page for public notices.
Witness: A person who has seen, heard, or has knowledge of an incident and can give evidence about it.

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