The legend of the gendarme, known by Egyptians from old movies, has resurfaced in Egypt’s streets.  

Interior Minister Major General Mohamed Ibrahim issued a decision on July 16 approving the return of gendarmes to the governorates of Cairo, Giza, Alexandria, Luxor and Aswan.  After being absent for more than 60 years, gendarmes appeared again to help restore security.

The legend of the gendarme, known by Egyptians from old movies, has resurfaced in Egypt’s streets.  

Interior Minister Major General Mohamed Ibrahim issued a decision on July 16 approving the return of gendarmes to the governorates of Cairo, Giza, Alexandria, Luxor and Aswan.  After being absent for more than 60 years, gendarmes appeared again to help restore security.

“Activating the gendarmerie system in Aswan and Luxor is linked to tourism, I believe, in order to provide tourists with a sense of security and convey a good image of Egypt abroad,” said Mohammed Mustafa, member of the Police Coalition in Asyut.

He noted that the return of the gendarmerie came against the backdrop of an increased rate of violent crimes (kidnapping, robbery, sexual harassment) in Egypt.

Blast from the past

The gendarmerie had been active until the revolution of July 1952 and then abolished since it  affiliated with the notorious political police, according to Asma Nassar, a researcher of security affairs at Dublin University. But then the revolution’s aim had been to eliminate all repressive apparatuses for better security forms.

Unlike a police officer who also performs administrative tasks including writing reports or conducting ground operations such as raids on criminal outposts, the gendarme is mainly tasked with guarding certain areas during three regular shifts. Armed with a stick, handcuffs and a walkie talkie, they would serve in residential as well as public areas, according to Major General Eldemerdash, Head of Cairo Security.

Only in the capital

Joumaa Abdelhafeez, Police Secretary at the Security Directorate of Aswan, said the decision has so far only been implemented in some neighborhoods of Cairo such as Elzamalik.

The idea of the gendarmerie, thus, has been originated in response to the deteriorated security situation in the cities, but would it be applicable in the remote non-urbanized villages like in Aswan?

Akil Ismail Akil, from Aswan’s Badari district believes that gendarmerie is inapplicable in small villages because of what he refers to as the “revenge culture”.  Should the gendarme be assigned to an area where the family in that area has hostile relations with his family, he may become an easy target of vengeance. He also noted that village residents have access to far more modern weapons than those obtained by the gendarme.

“We need fixed and mobile ambush units distributed on all roads in order to raid the criminal outposts and arrest the outlaws, in addition to establishing reconciliation committees tasked with resolving revenge conflicts among the families and collecting their weapons,” he said.

Abdelal Ali Abdelal, a resident from theAbu Tig district, recalled the former mission of the gendarmerie: “There used to be a patrol officer in charge of guarding the local unit and the governmental installations in our village of Zirabi. His presence used to decrease the rate of crimes especially those related to livestock and crop theft at the time.,” he said.

“Today, however, the situation has changed and arms have spread among the population, constituting a burden for the gendarme’s work and a potential obstacle against implementing the decision. Nevertheless, their presence would reduce crime, provide the citizens with a sense of security and renew the bond between the citizens and the security officers.”

A new means of suppression?

Although many agree about the need to intensify the efforts of the police to restore security, the decision of returning the gendarmerie was received with great criticism. Iman Abbas, Sociology Professor at Asyut University, demonstrated her concern towards the return of the gendarmerie since it could constitute a new means of suppression employed by the Ministry of Interior.

Hence, the gendarmerie officers must be carefully selected with strict requirements conditioned for their assignment including “rationality, awareness and good reputation to ensure the proper enforcement of the law reference to the fact that after the January 25 revolution, the Egyptian character has undergone a remarkable change of attitude manifested in confrontation, courage and absence of fear culture suffered by the Egyptians for many decades,” she said.

Abbas added, “Since the January 25 revolution, the People’s Committees have been guarding the citizens’ homes and no incidents of thefts or riots have been reported—this would facilitate the mission of the gendarme.  But they should prove their good intentions to the citizens and treat them properly, which will restore the confidence between the citizens and the police, and consequently, restore security and stability to the Egyptian street.”

Restructuring of the Ministry of Interior

Mamdouh Makram, Secretary-General of the Egyptian People’s Democratic Movement in Asyut, said the problem lies in the security structure of the police apparatus which still operates in a traditional way, not to mention the state of rampant corruption inside its entities.

“We do not count much on the return of the gendarmerie as long as the current situation remains the way it is (and even getting worse).  The gendarmerie has a notorious reputation among the Egyptians for being a means of suppression and oppression against the poor,” he explained.

“The problem, in deed, lies in the structure of the Ministry of Interior. The law must be fairly enforced to eliminate all criminal outposts, whether they are involved in terrorism or smuggling, even if it requires the execution of outlaws in public squares. This alone will restore security and safety to the streets of Egypt.”