Captain Mohammed Abdul Karim al-Asaidi said he was resuming police duties because of the precarious security situation since US troops entered the center of the capital Wednesday.

"It was time to get back to work," he told AFP. "We're working for the people, not for a government."

Earlier Saturday, hundreds of police officers and professionals turned up in response to a US appeal to help restore order and services.

Asaidi said he had heard the appeal on Kuwaiti radio received here.

He and his two colleagues, Sergeants Hossam Abdul Karim Naaman and Ahmed Mohammad al-Baradei, reported to work at the Palestine Hotel, which lodges a number of US officers.

"We want them to give us instructions," Asaidi said.

Baghdad has been ravaged by looting sprees since Wednesday, when all organs of Saddam's authority including the police crumbled.

SPACE.WIRE