A suggestion to the minister of interior before “reforming” the police

22/2/2012

Listening to debates about how to reform the police and security forces, I am reminded of the special courts set up after the 1952 revolution that ultimately did more damage than good. For that reason and by virtue of my training as a lawyer, I prefer that we stick to our legal system, with its procedures and due process. If we go by the book, we should be able to put the criminals away and protect our community without resorting to exceptional measures. 

As for restructuring and reforming the ministry of interior, I ask the minister not to succumb to pressure from the streets by taking hasty decisions, such as removing police and national security officers without full and fair investigations. Not only is impartial inquiry the legal way to go about restructuring, it will also help to avoid demoralizing honest policemen who have done nothing wrong. How can we expect the police to protect us against criminals while living in fear of random expulsion, regardless of performance?

translated from Al-Akhbar