CAIRO - Egypt's top archaeologist Zahi Hawass is crying out for help because antiquities are being plundered in the absence of the tourist police. He has accused the Interior Ministry of laxity in assuming its role in protecting Egypt's archaeological wealth. Being guarded by security individuals armed with sticks only, archaeological sites across the country are prone to all kinds of encroachments. The Pyramids Plateau has of late witnessed a case of armed assault where gangsters broke into two of the existing seven storehouses there. The invaluable content of the storehouses was loaded onto trucks under the very nose of the poorly armed guards. These storehouses embrace a rare collection of artefacts that were excavated in the course of decades. Although these items are registered which makes their sale or smuggling overseas rather difficult, the point is that Egyptian antiquities are a great asset to the country, which have to be protected by all means. Similar incidents have taken place in other sites not to mention secret excavations and urban encroachments on archaeologically rich sites, which are moving at a rapid due to poor supervision. Tourist police are reported to be on duty in their offices but they have refused to assume their positions at archaeological sites. The mistrust marring the relation between the people and the police, which reached its crisis during the January 25 revolution, is not only affecting the archaeological domain but all other vital sectors in the country. A national crisis is looming where the safety of people, property and national wealth is at jeopardy. The problem of the police has to be given top priority as recurring incidents indicate that the police force is still being run by the very same old mentality.
