CAIRO (Updated) - Prime Minister Essam Sharaf Thursday urged the Egyptian people to co-operate with police and the Government to restore security across the nation, as a group of intellectuals of different political leanings launched an initiative to re-establish security. "Without security, we can never achieve prosperity or progress. This lack of security in society threatens a full halt to development. Therefore, all Egyptians across the nation are asked to help police," said Sharaf after a meeting with Interior Ministry officials. He added that maintaining the gains of the January 25 revolution would never be achieved without helping police regain self-confidence. "The police establishment is the most significant element in the mechanism of the State," said Sharaf who was sworn in earlier this week. The escape of thousands of prisoners during the 18-day protests that toppled former President Hosni Mubarak and the looting of arms from police stations as well as break-ins of State Security offices have combined to result in a glaring absence of security personnel in Egypt. Abdel Monem Abul Fottouh, a key official of the influential Muslim Brotherhood, had launched, in co-operation with figures from Kefaya opposition group and a Coptic thinker, a proposal to restore security in Egyptian streets. "The transitional stage is very crucial as it will decide the future of our nation. Hence, security should be strong and on alert to help the nation," Abul Fotouh told The Gazette by phone. The proposal, which will be submitted to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces within days, is based on six points, according to Abul Fotouh, who also heads the Union of Arab Doctors. The proposal calls for holding three-month training courses for graduates of law faculties, a one-month course to polytechnical school graduates to be recruited in the Army as well as doubling the wages of police personnel. Abul Fotouh, jailed several times by State Security police, also asked for the third and fourth grade cadets of the Police Academy to be immediately graduated as well as encouraging other graduates to join the Sepcialised Officers Academy, another police institution. "We hope our proposal will be adopted by the Military Council even with some changes," Abul Fotouh said.
