HELPING THEMSELVES

Iraq's new police force is making noticeable contributions to the security environment in Baghdad and elsewhere in the country, senior U.S. officials told reporters in Baghdad today.

"Clearly the presence of Iraqi police on the front lines -- walking the patrols, addressing the problems -- is having an effect" on improving security across Iraq, Dan Senor, senior spokesman for the Coalition Provisional Authority, noted at a Baghdad press briefing.

Today, Senor pointed out, more than 60,000 Iraqi police officers are on duty across the country, with about 4,000 police patrolling Baghdad.

Senor credits the Baghdad police for a 39 percent decline in that city's crime rate during the last two months. Basra's crime rate, he added, has dropped 70 percent during the same time span.

Which is good...because look what they may be up against.

A coalition of insurgent groups has vowed to take over cities vacated by U.S. troops, and warned of ''harsh consequences'' for Iraqis who resist, according to pamphlets circulating in this hotbed of anti-American resistance.

The pamphlets, signed by Muhammad's Army and other insurgent groups, began appearing Saturday in Ramadi and nearby Fallujah both part of the dangerous Sunni Triangle region.

''America is getting ready to withdraw its forces from our country with its tail between its legs ... pressured by rockets and explosive devices,'' the statement said.

The pamphlets, replete with Quranic verses and threats of ''harsh consequences'' for anyone firing on the insurgency's fighters, said Iraqis who did not collaborate with the Americans would be allowed to form city councils once U.S. forces are gone. Every council will name candidates to run in general elections, the pamphlet said.

It appeared highly unlikely that U.S. forces would allow events envisioned in the pamphlets or that American troops would be drawn down to such low levels while the insurgency remain powerful.

Once the Americans withdraw, a three-day curfew will be imposed in ''liberated areas,'' the statement said, adding that hospitals and humanitarian organizations would be excluded.

Despite the threats, U.S. officials have expressed confidence Iraqi police will be able to handle the security situation.