- EGYPT
- January 19, 2016
- 4 minutes read
New Police Academy Regulations Officially Stamp Out Civil Perspective in Policing Egypt
The junta regime’s Interior Minister issued Decision No. 141 of 2016 to amend the Rules of Procedure of the Police Academy regarding subjects taught to students there.
Ahmed Mefreh, rights researcher concerned with human rights in Egypt, said: "The new regulations reflect a process of militarization of the police, and highlight the security mentality of the junta that runs this country since the July 3 (2013) military coup. It effectively kills off the last remaining civilian aspects of police work, and turns the entire police department into a military battalion".
New regulation amendments are as follows:
1. The new regulation does not translate articles of the Constitution regarding the police – which states that the police is a "civilian body". It focuses on discipline and behavior matters rather than legal and human rights aspects. Thereby, it turns Egypt’s police force into a military unit controlled by military rather than civil perspectives.
2. This regulation adds a new section of studies that focuses on conduct, discipline and personality traits, giving that new section half the police study degrees (the main subjects related to the study of law).
3. There is no code of criminal procedure in the study of police cadets in the four stages of the Police Academy. This is the law that regulates the conduct of criminal action arising from the criminal incident, from the moment of a crime is committed – until a verdict is issued. Thus, this new regulation points to the fact that police officers will lack basic knowledge of criminal justice.
4. Subjects related to human rights are taught only twice – once in the first year and the other in the fourth year. This belies statements from coup Interior Ministry speakers who claim the IM teaches law enforcement and its relationship to human rights.
5. It is notable that canceled subjects are all related to sociology, first aid and public relations – subjects with important civilian perspectives.
6. A new subject has been added for police cadets related to countering terrorism. This raises the question about the content of such a subject in light of the crimes committed by Egyptian security forces under this label – which contradict international legal standards.