What chance does the new minister of interior have in building public confidence in the way Egypt is policed? Reem Leila examines the possibilities Newly appointed Minister of Interior Mohamed Ibrahim Youssef has received strict instructions from Prime Minister Kamal El-Ganzouri -- they have met three times since Youssef was sworn in last week -- to ensure security returns quickly to the streets. Youssef has pledged to rebuild confidence between the public and the police, ensure public safety and impose law and order in the streets. Since Youssef's appointment police officers have scored a number of successes, arresting gang members in Alexandria, Daqahliya and Qalioubiya, many of whom are accused of stealing cars. Eight men were arrested in Alexandria and accused of extortion, five in Qalioubiya accused of stealing 1,600 metres of telephone cables. Gangs members in Beni Sweif, thought to be behind a spate of armed robberies, have been detained, and in Cairo 17 raids have led to the recapture of 370 escaped prisoners, the detention of 11 men carrying unlicensed arms and 45 suspected drug dealers. Since January 15,000 cars have been reported stolen. Even more worrying is the increase in reported kidnappings which have reached 160 cases a month. The police have removed more than 380 unlicensed kiosks and closed many random cafés set up on bridges and major highways. A total of 255 peddlers and 35 salesmen working without health licences have been detained. But much more remains to be done, says national security expert Major General Sameh Seif El-Yazal, not least in recapturing the 5,400 convicts who fled prisons in January. "It is essential to increase mobile patrols in remote areas and places where crime rates are high," says El-Yazal, and more personnel must be allocated to halting the trade in weapons smuggled from Libya, Sudan and Sinai. For order to return to the streets, El-Yazal argues, a policy of zero-tolerance must be adopted. "All forms of violations, whether traffic breaches, illegal street stalls and cafés, must be eliminated swiftly." But for this to happen, says El-Yazal, the Interior Ministry must replace equipment lost following the upheavals of January and February. "More than 4,500 ministry vehicles have been burned and over 23,000 guns were stolen. This is in addition to arson attacks on 150 police station and 17 prisons. The Armed Forces have provided the Interior Ministry with 400 vehicles, but it is hardly sufficient. At least LE500 million is needed to make up for losses and allow the security forces to rebuild their infrastructure." Given the current economic crisis such a sum is unlikely to be found through normal channels. One possible solution, says El-Yazal, would be to tax businesses a year in advance. The amount raised could then be deducted from the next four years' tax returns. Money is one thing, building the public's trust in law enforcement agencies after decades of bullying, corruption, torture and other human rights abuses another. Magda Boutros, criminal justice consultant at the Egyptian Initiative for Human Rights (EIHR), cites the manner in which the Ministry of Interior dealt with recent demonstrations in Tahrir as a glaring example of exactly what should not be done. The EIHR, says Boutros, has prepared a plan -- Policing the Egyptian People -- for the comprehensive restructuring of police practices, addressing human rights abuses at police stations, police working conditions and official chains of responsibility. According to Major General Fouad Allam, former deputy of the dismantled State Security who is also a security expert, infringements committed by a minority of policemen must end. "Violations have been committed by a group of irresponsible police officers and these must stop," he says. "It does not, however, mean that all policemen are corrupt." Allam suggests the installation of CCTV in police stations. "With cameras watching police officers will be more inclined to control their behaviour. They will also be protected from any false allegations of torture inside police stations," says Allam. Police stations should also have officers on duty who have been trained to guide people to the relevant officers and, for a time at least, the presence of human rights monitors should be allowed. "An activist presence is essential in monitoring police officers' performance and to act as a fair witness to what is going on inside police stations." Meanwhile, El-Ganzouri and Youssef have met to discuss security measures for the second stage of parliamentary elections on 14-15 December. "Securing a constituency or a polling station is much easier than securing the entire country," says El-Yazal. And for now at least, he points out, the Armed Forces are helping the Ministry of Interior, though such assistance cannot be a permanent feature of Egypt's policing.
