Self restraint, tolerance and hard work are needed for the security apparatus to begin doing its job, writes Jailan Halawi "You persecuted the nation for 30 years so why not accept the nation's persecution of you for a few months," said journalist and TV presenter Ibrahim Eissa on his daily talk-show Fil Midan (In the Square) on Tuesday. The "you" he was addressing was the police. Egyptians have long complained of the security apparatus, the most feared arm of Hosni Mubarak's regime. Those complaints have become deafening since January, with the public demanding that the security forces and its leaders be held accountable for their actions before, and during, the revolution. One key demand of the demonstrators still stationed in Tahrir Square is justice for the unarmed demonstrators shot by snipers or mowed down by armoured vehicles. Since the January Revolution the Ministry of Interior has witnessed changes at the top. General Habib El-Adli, currently facing trial on an array of charges, was replaced first by Major General Mahmoud Wagdi, then by Mansour Eissawi. Wagdi, criticised for his links with the former regime, was soon ousted as minister of the interior. In his short tenure his only significant action appears to have been to change his ministry's motto from "the Police and the People are at the Nation's Service" to "the Police is at the People's Service". Eissawi arrived in the post with an untarnished reputation. He has taken brave decisions in an attempt to prove his ministry's good intentions. He dissolved the State Security Intelligence (SSI) apparatus and in its stead established the Homeland Security Department. In the process most of the SSI's generals and brigadiers were retired, as were lower ranking officers who had mistreated citizens. The changes, though, did not satisfy some members of the public. The change of name and the suspension of some staff were cosmetic moves, they said, an attempt to buy time in which the security apparatus could regroup and return to its old, discredited practices. Officers involved in killing, or in ordering the killing, of demonstrators remained at large. By the beginning of July frustration over the lack of change since Mubarak stepped down in February spilled over into more mass demonstrations, with Tahrir Square once again the epicentre. Political activists complained that while the ousted president and many of his associates had lost power, his aides in the judiciary, the police and the civil service remained. One key demand of the protesters was that the security apparatus be purged of symbols of the old regime and those involved in the killing of the demonstrators face trial. In a bid to contain the situation Eissawi announced last Wednesday the largest police reshuffle in the history of the Ministry of Interior. It included 4,000 officers of various ranks. In the shake-up 505 major generals and 82 brigadiers -- 27 of them involved in the killing of protesters -- lost their posts, while 54 junior officers were moved to posts where they would not have to deal with the public. The officers who maintained their positions welcomed Eissawi's reshuffle as "fair", while those moved or suspended claimed they were being used as scapegoats to appease protesters. On Tuesday, Eissawi further announced that 54 officers -- all of them accused of killing demonstrators -- would be transferred to the ministry's administrative section. The announcement came after the cabinet issued a statement saying any officer being investigated should be transferred or suspended. Again, the move failed to appease those who are demanding the trial of officers accused of opening fire and killing protesters, not their reshuffle into administrative posts. A demonstration was quickly organised in front of the Ministry of Interior headquarters, with participants demanding Eissawi's removal and justice for the victims of police snipers. "We remained inside [the headquarters] and exerted the highest level of self-restraint until the demonstrators realised that we are not going to escalate the confrontation and left," said a security source speaking to Al-Ahram Weekly on the customary condition of anonymity. The lack of public trust is not the only challenge facing Eissawi's ministry. Though the ministry denies it, there appear to be splits within its rank and file. On 18 July scores of central security personnel demonstrated on the North Coast highway, setting fire to a number of police vehicles. Their demonstration was sparked by reports that an epileptic colleague died when an officer slapped him for being late on his unit. The officer was subsequently suspended pending further investigation. As the Interior Ministry attempts to rehabilitate its image, and demonstrators continue to demand the speedy prosecution of police officers accused of killing unarmed civilians, law and order on Egypt's streets have emerged as a major concern, dominating the press and talk shows. Some security experts believe that it is time to consider private security services for banks, hospitals and other utilities. Others argue that such services can only provide a temporary solution to the security void. What is needed, they say, is for the security apparatus to begin doing its job properly. But for that to happen, says one, "they will have to swallow their pride and behave with uncustomary restraint."
