CAIRO: The Police Coalition denied press reports that Minister of Interior Mansour El-Essawy threatened member officers that he will discharge them in retaliation for their statements to the media. The coalition said that El-Essawy has been cooperative with them. They blamed the ministry assistants, appointed during former minister Habib Al-Adly's reign, for threatening the coalition members with suspension. “They are the ones who are destroying the ministry. El-Essawy told us to present our documents to the prosecutor general and the illicit gains authority rather than speak out in the media,” said Ahmed Mashaly, spokesperson of the coalition. The coalition has been demanding the discharge of the minister's assistants, accusing them of corruption and allowing security turbulence. It presented earlier this week a complaint against 15 current and former ministry senior officers to the prosecutor general requesting an investigation into their wealth. The coalition said that its members will boycott police clubs elections set for May 29 due to concerns about its fairness. “The presidents of the clubs are appointed rather than elected and there is no judicial supervision,” Mashaly said. A new class of the Police Academy celebrated its graduation Monday, two months ahead of its scheduled date in order to reinforce police presence on the streets. Field Marshal Hussein Tantawy, head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, attended the ceremony, which was usually attended by the president of the country. The class which comprises 1,484 students was addressed by General Hussein Abdallah, head of the academy, who urged them to make their discipline a reality felt by everyone. “The number is too small to effect any change especially when they are distributed on directorates [across the country] and they will also need a period of training before dealing with the public and thugs,” Mashaly said. “The return of security to the street needs a daring decision; the number of officers on duty now is enough,” he added. This is the second class from the academy to graduate ahead of time after the 1982 class following the assassination of President Anwar Sadat.
