Egypt has two kinds of police officer. Those who graduate from the police academy and cadets. The latter are not as rigorously trained and have clashed with citizens on several occasions. Those clashes have sparked a rising anger among Egyptians, for instance, doctors held a nationwide protest – saying the violations should not be tolerated.
Last Thursday hundreds protested after a police cadet shot and killed an Egyptian man.
“When police cadets were exempted from standing in front the military court, and it was replaced by disciplinary courts that had a great impact on the behavior of some police cadets after January revolution. There are still some punishments which could lead to dismissing them from duty.”Mohammed Hashem, Security Affairs Journalist, Rosa Al Youssef
President Abdel Fattah El Sisi has responded to the popular anger. He’s called on the interior ministry to amend disciplinary laws within 15 days.
“There are about six official offices inside the ministry that monitor and punish police officers, including the national security bureau, the police management in Each governorship and the general security bureau..”Mohammed Hashem, Security Affairs Journalist, Rosa Al Youssef
Many say the interior ministry needs to do more to ensure police are held accountable for their actions. There are over 130 Police cadets and security personnel in the interior ministry. That’s more than triple the number of officers in Egypt. So any improvement in the cadets’ performance would be beneficial for the efficiency of police – as well as the safety of citizens.
