Freedom and Justice Party lawmakers have asked the interior minister to devote six-month intensive courses in the Police Academy to law school graduates to help fill the national security void, security sources told Al-Masry Al-Youm Wednesday. The MPs also asked that most of those chosen for the courses be FJP or Muslim Brotherhood members, according to the same sources. The request came during a parliamentary committee hearing with Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim over the Port Said football violence earlier this month. Students typically attend the Police Academy for four years, after which they graduate as police officers with the rank of first lieutenant. Several observers and activists have criticized and demanded change in the academy curriculum. The MPs also asked Ibrahim to allocate 3000 lower-ranking police officer positions for members of its parent organization, the Muslim Brotherhood, the sources said. Public security around Egypt has deteriorated and crime rates have increased since the outbreak of the January 2011 uprising that toppled former President Hosni Mubarak. The sources said that FJP members met with former Interior Minister Mansour al-Essawy when he was in office and both sides agreed that Brotherhood students should comprise 10 percent Police Academy students. Senior group leaders have denied any agreement exists. The son of senior Brotherhood official Essam al-Erian was recently accepted into the academy. Sources at the Interior Ministry's media office denied that any spots have been allocated to Brotherhood students, saying that the ministry applies fair admission standards for all applicants and that the minister himself does not intervene in the process. The same sources added that such suggestions carry the dangerous implication that police services could turn into militias loyal to political groups rather than the country. Ministry sources also claimed that FJP members gave Ibrahim a list of officers from the now-dissolved State Security Investigation Services who have moved to other security posts. The minister promised to dismiss them, the sources alleged. Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm
