Amnesty International lambasts British forces in control of southern Iraq in a new report calling for an end to disorder in Basra, three months after the occupation began.

"The climate of fear and insecurity is overwhelming in Basra," notes the London-based group in the reported titled: "Iraq: the Need for Security" and dated July.

"The widespread looting and scavenging of public buildings, witnessed in the first days of occupation, has decreased, but crime, often involving violence, remains much higher than before the occupation," Amnesty says after sending delegates to Basra from April 24.

"Interviews with lawyers, police and judges indicate that theft of public and private property is pervasive, and in many cases is accompanied by the use of firearms.

"Murders motivated by personal enmity or political revenge are reported to occur daily.