An aide to the interior ministry insisted on Friday that policemen are not shielded from the law after a taxi driver was shot dead in Cairo a day earlier. "Whoever mistreats citizens, contravenes the law, or works on obstructing the relationship between the security apparatus and the great Egyptian people, does not have a place inside the ministry," Major General Abu-Bakr Abdel-Karim, a spokesman for the interior ministry, told state owned MENA news agency. "Those who violate the law are immediately referred to the general prosecution." The aide described the interior ministry as the "ministry of the people that works on establishing the security and safety of citizens, with full respect for law and the constitution, and to protect the dignity and rights of citizens." The general stressed that the ministry is considered to be the first body that holds its "sons" accountable if mistaken, pointing out that punishment could culminate in the expulsion from service in case there is proof of a violation against any citizen. "Many police members have dissented against actions committed by colleagues recently ... which undermine the efforts and sacrifices that they make on a regular basis to protect the nation," Abdel-Karim added. "Policemen have demanded that harsh punishments be imposed on violators." The aide's statements came following a deadly incident on Thursday that prompted hundreds of people to converge outside the Cairo Security directorate to protest the killing of a man by a lower-ranking policeman in a working class district of Cairo following a dispute over money. According to the interior ministry, the policeman who shot dead the 24-year-old taxi driver Mohamed Ali Ismail has been detained and will be questioned. The policeman fired his gun to disperse a crowd of locals who had gathered and were sympathising with the driver, that then lead to Ismail's death, the ministry statement said. Source: Ahram Online
