Jan.  25, 2001

 
Address by President Muhammad Hosni Mubarak on The Police Day

    On this day, 49 years ago, a group of courageous policemen bravely sacrificed their souls to defend their posts in Ismalia against heavily armed occupation forces. Thus,they set the greatest example of sacrifice and duty. This glorious day, therefore, deserved to be taken as the Police Day on which to pay homage to their sublime mission in defense of a secure and stable homeland where every citizen feels secure about his life, dignity and property.

    On this day, we honour the great values of sacrifice and duty which shaped up the national conscience of the Egyptian Police, prompting them to sacrifice their souls to protect citizens, keep a watchful eye on their security, property and stability. In order to safeguard the security of the country, They triumph for oppressed, rescue those in distress, chase out forces of crime and evil, and enforce the rule of law. In so doing they spare no effort or sacrifice.

    The Egyptian police have lived up to the expectations of their people and fought brave battles, throughout its history in support of the right of the Egyptian people to live in a safe country. It stretched out its security coverage as wide as Egyptian citizens' activity extend providing conditions for them, wherever they exist on any inhabited spot of Egypt's soil, to feel secure about their souls, dignity and property. Under all circumstances and at all times, unwavering stance of the police was to side with the interests of the people and defend citizens security and rights against outlaws jeopardize Egypts security and stability, profiteer from crime, dishonest practices, illicit drug traficking and spread out, turpitude among people.

The Egyptian police have undertaken its sublime mission in a disciplined manner, without encroaching upon people's rights or freedoms. They rather maintained their responsibility for enforcing law and safeguarding security of the society.

    Along history, the time-honoured record of Egyptian police has been underpinned by their patriotic affiliation, complete discipline and keeness on performing their duty in full compliance with the provisions of the law.

    They also were responsibly aware of the importance of performing their duty in an impartial and unprejudiced manner, observing equal rights of all citizens and abiding by sound principles and values.This conduct was never extrinsic to the Egyptian police simply because they are the offspring of this people and part of its national texture. They take roots in the heart of the nation; they live up to its aspirations as well as its pains, fully imbued with a true feeling that they are defending their kith and kin.

    Brothers and Sisters,
I need not affirm that the prominent role played by the police in safeguarding national stability was one of the main factors that enabled development effort to make such huge progress; embodied in productive and urban projects covering wide expanses of the Egypt's soil in Sinai, Red Sea, new urban communities, along the canal from east Port Said and the Suez Gulf up to Toshka in the south. Urbanization and development would never have been achieved had it not been for a safe and stable environment. Without security and safety, no country , regardless of any attractions it offers, can be magnet for investments and investors. The prime pre-requisite for successful investment is to re-assure investor of the stability of his conditions and life. Egypt's legitimate aspiration, now cheriched by every Egyptian, for a comprehensive national awakening that would bring about a decent life for citizens, could have never been accomplished in the absence of stability, which is the cornerstone of any human progress. As a prerequisite for stability, security and safety should be provided for all, criteria of equal justice be uniform for all citizens, respect for the law be entrenched and its provisions duly enforced. These mission would be difficult to accomplish in the absence of an able national police force that safeguard the security of both the homeland and citizens as well as the cohesion of the home front, protect the society against the evils of crime. In addition, they would maintain the safety of commercial activity protecting it against fraudulent and deceptive practices and extending its coverage to every inch of Egypt's soil to safeguard each and every achievement.

    Throughout the past years, Egyptian police have fought numerous battles in defense of Egypt's security and stability. Of these, the most courageous was their protracted the long battle against terrorist fought with unprecedented bravery. In so doing, there were fully supported by Egyptian people as well as all enlightened forces of the society. This exercise was meant to defend future Egypt, the true image of Islam, and homelands right to stable safety , thus creating a proper environment for the progress of development efforts.

    The success of the Egyptian police in undermining the terriorist factions clamping down on most of their organizations and unravelling their relationships and connections with external forces, asserts the Egyptian security's control over all elements of the situation. This also proves their ability to take the initiative.

    But that success does not mean, as I have said before, that danger is over and by gone once and for all as we are facing a global phenomenon shaped in the form of closely interrelated chain of organized crimes. Their factions collaborate definitely with the purpose of attempting to take advantage of the difficult circumstances; the Middle East is undergoing to spread out and instability through hollow slogans covering sinister targets and wicked intents to create panic all over the region. Hence, we should exercise complete vigilance and extreme caution to be fully alert and highly conscious to nip in the bud any attempt to re-activate such factions.

    I am confident that the Egyptian police do their best to keep their elements on the alert, bridge all potential gaps especially in the sensitive locations and frequently plans and programmes to tighten control over important sites that can be still targets for such factions..

    Greeting to the brave policemen; who do exert their utmost for the sake of its security and stability and share with the Egyptian Armed Forces the honour of defending Egypts security, safety and stability.

Greetings to the faithful police martyrs who lost their lives in the battles of honour in defense of their country's soil and citizen's safety. Security is a necessity for life and survival, failing which turbulance will prevail and development will become impossible. Security is an indivisible whole.While facing up crime in of all forms, it is the hedge that makes citizens secure about both his present and future as well as the shield that protects the democratic process.It maintains the unity of the country and safeguards its social fabric.Meanwhile, it is the base on which economic prosperity rise.

    In the framework of this sublime mission the Egyptian police exert tremendous efforts to protect society against the evils of narcotics and drugs that chain up the peoples energies. Moreover, drugs threaten those generations of youth who are vulnerable to this distructive danger which wastes away their capabilities, spoil their future and abstruct their power. Of no less importance is the role played by the police in safeguarding public funds and chasing cases of corruption deviation. In so doing, the police stress integrity of governance and reinforce people's trust in the state machinery.

We are facing challenges of new era involving a tremendous in means of communication and science that have changed the features of the world, eliminating borders, barrieres and distances all in the best interest of human progress. Cocommitant with such tremendous progress were a number of new challenges that jeopardized human security. These involved the increasing sway of organized crime, the close worldwide cooperation between terrorist factions and the emergence of new forms of cross-border economic crime of a global nature that threaten countries economies. Furthermore, there rose new types of crimes related to our technological and scientific progress, and our keenness in protecting the environment. This makes it incombent the Egyptian police to develope its tools, techniques and approaches in order to face these increasing challenges. Thereby they can more capable of coping up with the evolution of crime through a new strategy that guarantees continuing development and modernization of security machinery, tools and approaches. Such strategy should also ensure adoption of the most up-to-date continuing trainning methods, thereby promoting the behaviour of their personnel, bases and machinery up to the level of these new challanges.

    Dear Brothers,

We are seeking to build an Egyptian revival to be guaranteed for its viability and progress by robust institutes based on methods of scientific progress, internal democratic decision-making. Operating within the framework of a comprehensive vision, such institutions would allow impacts and results to accumulate day after day and year after year. This will allow the nations build-up to rise on a sound base that ensures that the process of reconstruction to continue at the hands of successive generations. Thus, new leaderships can be generated from inside their ranks within a healthy atmosphere ensuring respect for efficiency, learning and expertise as well as a prominent role for young people in management and rule responsibilities. As a time-honoured national insitution the police, like the Egyptian Armed Forces, must set a remarkable example of the performance of the action of the state of institutions.It is an institution that make men and heroes, infuses into their cadres the spirit of sacrifice, values of belonging, ability to make decisions and sinceere desire to serve the masses. This would make the Egyptian police a good example of a modern state that respects the rule of law, protects freedoms and rights of citizens and establishes a sound. democracy based on enlarging the rights of the masses to participation and decision-making.

    While the state of institutions to us is the genuine guarantee for continuing and sustainable progress across successive generations, expanding the right of participation is the real guarantee to complete the democratic process on sound bases that respect the peoples will and protect the people's right to select their representatives.

    Egypt has made tremendous progress towards completing its democratic process by assigning our most respected Egyptian judiciary to supervise all stages of electoral process. Thus, the Egyptian citizen would regain trust in his vote and rest assured of his ability to choose his representatives. This would also bring about a true parliamentry representation that reflects the Egyptian political scene without distinction or discrimination between supporters and opposers. We do consider the opposition as a part of the ruling system as long as they abide by legitimacy and rule of law, and acquire to the fact that decision should express the majority's right of choice.

    Brothers and Sisters, Safe and robust, Egypt, will-God-willing-continue her progress . No one can hinder her hopes because the people have known their way and have made up their mind to restructure all aspects of life on their land and, no one will stop their forward march.

    Egypt's progress now rests on an emerging economy that is able to re-adjust its path, overstep problems and rectify its errors through self-reliance. Egypt progress rests also on a democratic system based on a state of institutions, where the door of participation is open for all without any distinction or restrictions, rule of law is respected, different and multiple opinions are allowed, freedom of press and opinion is consecrated, individual initiatives are encouraged, private enterprises are fully supported as the basis of development and bonds of cooperation with all countries of the world based on mutual respect .

    We have now an emerging economy and a sound democracy, as well as a successful experiment of national work that has reshaped life on Egypt into better levels, raising Egypts status on the world arena. Above all, we have great, intelligent people, institutions that are able to protect stability and make the future. First and foremost, we do have trust in God and self-confidence that enlighten our hearts and insights and help us surmount road blocks.

    May I ask Allah, the Almighty to guide us to follow the right path and to keep Egypt always safe and secure as he promised in the Holly Quran for He is Best Sustainer and Best Supporter.

    May God's peace and Mercy be upon you.