CAIRO: The general police officers coalition refused to support the strike of police staff and aides and condemned them in a recent statement. The coalition said the strike “goes against the revolution and its principles.” Several thousands police aides and staff entered a strike on Monday, calling for better financial rights, setting working hours and the “cleansing” of the ministry of interior and police forces of “affiliates of the former regime.” Thousands spent the night on Tuesday in tents outside the ministry's headquarter in downtown Cairo and other police institutions. Thousands more workers from other Egyptian cities are joining their colleagues in the strike. The police officers coalition also condemned any police officer who joins or supports the strike, saying that the few “honorable” police aides who did not join “desrve our support.” Police aides and staff have always been the executive arm of police and many have complained about the bad treatment they receive from their supervising officer at work. They are expected to run errands for the officer, mostly personal ones, drive them and their families, blindly obey their orders even in matters outside police jurisdiction, according to testimonies of police aids. The police aides and staff coalition is yet to issue a response to the officers coalition and remain firm in their stand against corruption in the police. They repeatedly said their main demand is to cleanse the police force from coruption and some are calling for the resignation of minister Mansour al-Essawi. BM
