Over years, Egyptian Police personified the Egyptian people's deep-rooted values when they abided by honesty and dedication in shouldering responsibility. January 25, 1952, is deemed a memorable day in the history of Egyptian Police; when its men portrayed the best form of heroism and sacrifice. This happened when they stood up steadily defending Ismailia Police Station in the face of the British occupation in the face of British state-of-the-art weapons and about 50 of them were martyred and 80 were injured. Thus, policemen added a new glorified page to the record of Egyptian heroism.

Police Job… Its Security and Service Dimensions

Egyptian police members shoulder the burdens of their profession with its both sides; security and related services, unlike several other countries where police take only the security side. The current security reality acknowledges that Egyptian service security bodies have witnessed a comprehensive and integrated development to simplify procedures for citizens and improve security services provided for them. This is to realize security, stability, luxury and welfare for the society where the frameworks of development followed to realize such aims were represented in the following:

1) In Limiting Terrorism

The Ministry of Interior (MOI) concerned bodies have transcended their traditional duties and coped with the new findings that came over internationally and regionally. Thus, on top of the police concerns are protecting economic development programmes, effectively contributing to carrying out the vision of the political leadership, within the limits of their competence, realizing the State's supreme objectives by attracting foreign capitals, restoring tourism rates, never to mention, setting the needed plans to secure mega projects. This is to realize comprehensive development and raise the standard of living of the society.

2) In the Criminal Concern

a) Drop in Crime Rates

In comparison to population growth, crime rates dropped in general despite the economic, social, and population changes and the amount of efforts to arrest criminals in all kinds of crimes has escalated. It is the use of a group of security mechanisms that contributed to the drop in crime rates. These include establishing a huge central data base, modernizing data and information, developing command posts and systems of processing criminal searching, and establishing new headquarters for security directorates and police stations.

b) Protecting Society from Hazards of Narcotics

The Ministry of Interior followed an advanced policy in dealing with the phenomena of narcotics. This policy produced positive and tangible results in confronting this phenomenon. The policy relied on intensifying security campaigns on criminal cells and squat areas, tightening surveillance over land and air outlets, raising people's awareness of the hazards and harms of narcotics, undertaking field research about the area of illegitimate plantations, promoting the level of personnel, using hi-tech systems and equipment such as global positioning system (G.P.S) and coordinating with the Armed Forces through carrying out joint operations in reconnaissance, shooting, monitoring, and combating areas of illegitimate plantations.

c) Discipline in the Egyptian Street

The MOI has been keen on realizing law and order in the Egyptian street through upgrading vehicle patrolling system by modernizing its tools; cars and motorcycles, so as to include personnel from investigation, discipline, and traffic departments, in addition to providing those personnel with telecommunication systems, and the state-of-the-art weapons with the aim of tightening security control on the entrances of cities, roads, and major pivotal roads, and intensifying traffic patrolling to realize pre-emptive security through effective security existence in the Egyptian street.

d) Maintaining Intellectual Property

In the framework of Egypt's access to international agreements concluded in the field of copyright protection, the MOI has, since the last decade of the last century, established a specialized security system to combat crimes of literary compilation that would undertake combating all sorts of crimes classified under this category.

e) Detecting the Identity of Crime Perpetrators Electronically

In this field, development included modernizing the applied systems to determine a person's identity through making use of state-of-the art scientific methods; through using computers for prints and making use of that system to extract criminal records that include the final charges and sentences against individuals, maintaining copies of prints and scientifically dealing with them through establishing an e-archive, and providing equipment and advanced labs needed to apply the D.N.A methods in criminal cases.

3) In the Economic Security Field

The Ministry of Interior's action plan was grounded on providing a secure investment atmosphere all over the country, in addition to facilitating procedures for investors, and prudent confrontation of different kinds of economic crimes.

4) In the Social Security Field:

The Ministry could achieve the following:

a) Applying National ID System

The MOI developed its action system in the civil status sector via using computers, establishing mega electronic database and recording the data of all the citizens all over the Republic on computers of high capacities. The project aims at socially protecting individuals through accurate determination of their identity when they deal with the state different bodies, realizing the highest level of securing citizens' data and documents, providing different state sectors with accurate statistical personal and familial data, and linking all administrative dealings of citizens via the usage of the national identification number.

b) Developing Care Systems in Penal Establishments

 Penal establishments witnessed a real revival in the development of the already existing prisons in addition to establishing new ones- 15 penal establishments- in which all the means and conditions for habilitation and reformation in addition to aspects of social, health, educational and religious care are provided. Furthermore, the MOI is keen on paying due attention to juveniles and providing care subsequent to release; to both the released and their families with the aim of socially rehabilitating them and restoring their adaptation with the society. 

5) In the Field of Specialized Police Actions and Outlets

The MOI is keen on providing specialized police services to citizens including: securing new urban communities, providing citizens with civil protection and traffic safety, securing outlets for protection from hazards of terrorism, using computers in recording and archiving data and criminal-activity-related information, issuing permissions, and organizing the circulation of hazardous commodities, the movement of sailors and the arrival of ships.

6) In Facilitating Procedures for Citizens

Service security systems witnessed a comprehensive and integrated development to facilitate procedures for citizens and bettering services offered to them, salient of which were represented in the following:

-  Simplifying procedures and steps of services for citizens.

-  Enabling citizens of receiving service from one place, rather than having them moving among several bodies, in addition to extending working hours to have night shifts, thus cutting short the time a service would take.

-  Working on bettering the establishments where services are being offered to guarantee the comfort of both the staff and citizens.

-   Avoiding laying any additional financial burdens on citizens.

In addition, Egyptian police followed methods of scientific and technological progress to cope with development and catch up with the scientific march through relying on modern technology to face up to new forms of cyber crime. All development efforts in this vein resulted in the establishment of Computer Network and Crime Combat Department which works on combating and discovering crimes such as sabotage, viruses, hacking and taking the legal procedures against them. This would be with the participation of and in coordination with concerned security systems according to the instructions organizing this process.

7) In the Field of Spreading Human Rights Culture, Protecting Man's Rights and Maintaining His Freedoms:  

Some intensified efforts are being exerted to spread the culture of human rights and enhancing and protecting the rights of the Egyptian man. This would be through sustaining the development of police action mechanisms and continuing the modernization of security plans, salient of which are the following:

a) Forming the Supreme Committee for Human Rights:

Several ministerial decrees have been issued since 1999, the last of which was under the number 1603 of 2004 on forming a supreme committee for human rights in the Ministry of Interior. In this committee, all leaders of security and police systems, affiliated to the MOI, would be represented; the committee would shoulder the following:

* Searching the methods that would enable the Ministry's various bodies to maintain human rights while dealing with citizens.

* Monitoring methods of maintaining human rights and fundamental freedoms of all the personnel of the MOI's different bodies.

* Studying all the obstacles that impede man from enjoying all his rights and fundamental freedoms and setting convenient solutions to solve them.

* Discussing whatever controversy about the issue of human rights and taking the suitable measures towards that in addition to offering proposals related to backing the Ministry's plan in protecting human rights.

* Proposing holding seminars, conferences, and training courses with the aim of deepening the concept of human rights in police officers and the MOI per sonnel.

* Studying the methods of developing various procedures with the aim of ma nifying protection of human rights.

b) Spreading the Culture of Human Rights:

The Ministry is keen on coping with all that is new, and gives due attention to spreading knowledge about human rights in the minds and spirits of police officers so as to enhance their potentials and provide them with everything new related to its different mechanisms; being the main pillar in realizing security and stability in the society. This would be attained through the following:

* Teaching the subject of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the facu ties and institutes of the Police Academy among the basic police sciences, and teaching it within the programmes of police training courses that are organized by the MOI for police officers in the various police institutes.

* Including issues of human rights and fundamental freedoms within the educ tional and training curricula of police faculties and institutes to increase the volume of knowledge related to human rights in a way that guarantees full awareness of the necessary of implementing legitimacy during practicing police work, in addition to enhancing the relation between the police and the public. 

* Including human rights and fundamental freedoms within security research contests arranged by police faculties and institutes for students of the Police Academy and including them in the syllabus of diplomas obtained from the faculties of police.

* Participating in international, regional, and national conferences, holding conferences and seminars related to human rights and fundamental freedoms and making use of their results in enhancing and modernizing mechanisms of security action. This is to boost police officers' general awareness about how to shoulder their duty in the framework of respecting human rights.

* Sending police officers on advanced training scholarships in international training centres concerned with human rights. Such centres may include the Geneva-based UN headquarters and the International Institute for Human Rights in Strasburg, France. In addition, the MOI sends post graduates who attained their master's degree of police sciences and law (including topics on human rights) on scholarships to several countries; the United Kingdom, France, USA, etc. to collect scientific references needed for a Ph.D.

* Designing patterns of security situations related to human rights, similar to those witnessed reality and training students of police faculties and institutes on abiding by the limits set by the law in using the authority vested to them and shouldering the duties of the law. Meanwhile, trainees are urged to treat cit zens well and facilitate procedures in the framework of the rules set in security services for citizens.

* Establishing a new science section in the Police Research Centre of the Police Academy; Criminal Justice and Human Rights Section whose scientific competence is concerned with criminal justice with its different perspectives, human rights and fundamental rights and the mechanisms needed as well.

* Issuing police duty guide to protect human rights and maintain man's fund mental rights and distributing it on police officers to deepen the fundamental principles and concepts of human rights within them. Moreover, the citizen's rights guide at dealing with security bodies was issued and distributed on cit zens in various occasions and locations of dense population.

8) In Protecting Personal and Family Freedoms

-  In the framework of the MOI's abiding by legitimacy and the sovereignty of law, maintaining citizens' dignity, respecting their rights and observing their freedoms, work in criminal security is, in its salient pivot, based on the necesity of providing security and protecting personal freedom through the following:

a) In Protecting Human Rights to Movement and Residence

Security bodies give due attention to taking security procedures and measures  that guarantee protecting the right to move and reside in the framework of what    international and national legislation included.

b) In Securing Citizens' Rights to Express their Opinion and Hold Public Gatherings and Peaceful Marches

-  Freedom of expression and holding public gatherings and peaceful marches  are deemed salient kinds of freedoms that the Ministry is keen on setting the organizing frameworks for to be practiced in the context of abiding by constitu tional and legal legitimacy that regulates that right. In addition, the MOI is keen on offering all the facilitations needed to empower citizens to practice their right in this concern

c) In Securing Human Rights to Practice Political and Civil Rights:

* Taking the pre-emptive measures that secure non-interference, in an illegal or oppressive manner with the privacy of somebody, his/her family, house, or mailings, or illegally deform their honour or reputation.

* Stress the fact of not arresting any person except with a legal warrant and informing him/her of the reason of the arrest.

* Banning searching the house of any citizen without a warrant due to charges of perpetrating or participating in a criminal action or a misdemeanour.

* Enhancing detention sites in police centres and stations in a way that secures providing detainees the care needed as well as humane treatment.

* Separating juvenile from adult criminals and presenting them as soon as po sible to judgment.

* Preparing a suitable place within police stations for children till their proc dures are done; taking into consideration separating males from females and finishing the procedures as quickly as possible.

* Establishing waiting rooms in police centres and stations for accused citizens who have no criminal precedent to wait in till they present themselves before the agent of the public prosecutor's office (cases of mistaken murders and injries, traffic, false accusations, etc…)

* Treating citizens well in police centres and stations, receiving their notific tions and discussing their circumstances with them, moving quickly for surveing and notifying concerned entities.

* Investigations that police officers would undertake should be in a crime related to their qualitative and spatial competence and within the duties and responsibilities vested on them, without prejudice to the incumbent protection of rights and freedoms via legitimate legal methods.

* Limiting, documenting, and proving all the procedures to be undertaken in a signed report that highlights the time and the place where the procedures took place. The report also should provide the signature of the witnesses, and then reports should be sent to the public prosecutor's office.

* Receiving complaints and notifications on crimes and examining them to be sent to the public prosecutor's office to begin investigating them to find out whether the case is a crime or a misdemeanor, or if no procedures should be taken if the incident represents no crime.

-  Forms of enhancing care systems in penal establishments in a way that guarantees protecting the human rights of the imprisoned were represented in the following:

*Applying rules of classifying the imprisoned as regards to their crimes, jud ments, ages and gender.

* Applying rules of outer transfer; letting the imprisoned out of prison on a 48 hour-visit to their families upon rules regulated by the law and the statute.

* Applying rules of early release (conditioned release) whenever governing conditions are provided.

* Annulling penal servitude for life in both forms; the life sentence and the temporary sentence and amending them to imprisonment for life and aggr vated imprisonment in application of legal rules in this concern.

* Removing the wire barrier between those prisoners of good conduct and behaviour and their family when they come to visit them.

* Releasing prisoners from prison gates through coordination with competent bodies to confirm that they are not wanted by any other judicial or security body.

* Letting out many of the prisoners to share in social occasions with their fam lies.

* Preparing suitable rehabilitation programmes and working on magnifying them due to their positive results in making the best use of potentials and investing spare times in useful work.

* Promoting the standard of living of the prisoners and their families through enhancing their skills and professionalism and giving them rewarding wages for their work with the aim of rehabilitating them to decently mingle with the society.

* Establishing many hospitals and clinics in addition to the ones that already exist and providing them with modern medical equipment.

* Establishing and equipping libraries within prisons of the sector.

* Enabling prisoners of checking out the books and references they want and help them complete their studies in the different educational stages.

* Spreading and practicing different sports after providing their tools in addtion to not confining sports to certain games in particular.

* Making use of the financial and technical potentials of youth and sport dire torates in addition to making use of their experiences in supervising the organzation of those activities and defining the laws of each sport.

Protecting Female Human Rights:

* Giving due attention to women in the stage of detention through preparing a suitable site within police locations to accommodate them there till the proc dures are finalized, taking into consideration finishing them quickly and wor ing on making the time spent by females in a police location as short as poss ble and separating them from men; be that in stages of investigation or during the transfer.

* Giving due care to women in the stage of provisional detention that secured a special status for a woman in prison, in a way that maintains her dignity (as regards accommodation and residence). She has to be separated from other female prisoners in rooms as decently furnished as possible and she may wear her own clothes, in the light of the prison administration resolutions, taking into consideration cleanliness and hygiene.

* Providing all the medical services needed to female prisoners in prison hosp tals and outer clinics; providing medicines, let them have surgical operations in the external hospitals if needed, in addition to manufacturing prostheses in case they need that.

* Moreover, the Ministry is keen on the proper rehabilitation of female priso ers through several perspectives of care offered to them. This could be achieved by accurately searching their cases socially and psychologically and the factors and reasons that led them to commit a crime. This is to choose them the suit ble social rehabilitation programme in prison.

* Giving due attention to pregnant, nursing and custodian females; as regards nutrition, work, sleep, suitable clothing and comfort.

* Establishing an administration for motherhood and childhood care in the Prison Administration Sector to provide care for pregnant mothers, examine all female prisoners and secure health care for their children just as all the children outside prison.

* A child whose mother is sentenced to long-term imprisonment shall receive special care during his/her stay with the mother in prison; the child would stay with the mother in prison for two years in which all means of health care, attention and special preparations would be provided to him/her.

* Female prisoners shall enjoy all the public rights to education in its different stages. A comprehensive and integrate system has been set to combat illiteracy in prisons in coordination with the executive system of the Public Authority for Combating Illiteracy and Adult Education.