One would think that after events of continuous violence acts happened in Sharm before -perhaps by the same people- that security forces in Sharm (combined, police, army, intelligences..etc) would have gained experience or knowledge or even some decency to do their jobs right or even try to.
Last week I’ve been in Cairo for the #Jan25Two events (I didn’t experience any political act except the marches and the Maspero protests, all others was just celebrations) and another bit more serious attempt robbery happened in Sharm, also as foreign-exchange office, and also at the old market where the last TWO attempts happened (tells you a lot about our ability to make security measures and formations in a threatened place, right?).. a French citizen died and others were injured back then.
Unfortunately I wasn’t in Sharm but my brother already told me that the locals of Sharm did two things at this night: most of them started a popular committees to watch over their own properties after having the assurance now that Police ain’t doing thing in protecting or serving, the other interesting part of the locals went up to the Sharm Police HQ, protested and chanted, and entered the Police Station itself asking for the removal of the South Sinai Governor and South Sinai Head of Security, my brother added: “if you want that night to roll a hash cigarette you could INSIDE the police station “referring how the station was crowded with people, and how it was absent from the police officers who hid in afraid of angry people”
Of course then, the Hekimdar (I don’t even know what the hell he does in life) went out to tell angry people and calm them down, that they will change the Governor and the Head of Security but they will do this after the Shura elections, because they need to protect it well.
Today, February 8th, 2012, is my birthday, started with bit cloudy day like yesterday, bit hot (started to wear short sleeves already) and over all nice day, except I couldn’t dive because no sun was up today, I went to Hadaba, and on my way back my manager called me to check if I was at the Credit Agricole bank (which we do our transactions in my work with), he warned me not to go there because there have been a shooting, and since the bus was going to bus anyway on the bank (YES it’s a very main street in Sharm) I stopped to check on my friends working at the bank because they didn’t reply).
I found some crowd of people there, almost common people, then started to get the hang out of security forces there, about 12 to 15 machine gunner (officer and ameen not normal soldiers) and two to three high ranked officers, with two police pick-up cars closing the entrance to the bank parking lot.
Went directly to my friends (bank employees) standing in front of the bank, to find a bullet hole in the bank’s wall, and two think blood spots on the bank’s doormat (couldn’t take photos in consideration of my friends tensioned mood at the moment) and asked Islam ( a teller) whether they (referring to robbers) got in, he told me no, and asked about the blood spots, turned out to be of the police soldier guarded the bank.
I started to get more opinion from more people standing, the general story tells:
a group of robbers on a pick-up truck entered from the sunshine resort (behind the bank, because they can’t simply come from the front because of the image of heavy security in the area) and started shooting, and the soldier (or ameen shorta) responsible for the bank security took the first shot to his leg, and then when the inside security heard the shots, they closed the steel door immediately, and the locals around the area came right away, meanwhile the robbers found it hard (because of the closed door and the people gathered immediately from all around) to continue with the attempt and started to run away, (news when I went there which was 30 minutes after the incident that they were sill being pursued by the Police.
Of course I have some rumours, like it was a pick-up truck with a machine gun on its back (that’s very war like) and that the bullets were of Israeli-made (don’t tell me how they got to that conclusion), rumours are understood, they are common people trying to have their own point of view.. NOW while writing this, I have Shourouk News stating it was a private car, and that the police officer actually stood in front of the robbers and thus they ran away, I have Al Ahram stating that it was a pick-up truck and that “police force in charge on Naama bay security” stood to the robbers, and I have the most close to the truth now, Al Dostor Al Asly stating that there has been shooting between the robbers and the “stationed” police force.
Facts:
1- No stationed force was or ever been in the place, nearest police car would come in 2 to 3 minutes, and the people there all said, no shooting back had happened, actually people thought that the poor Soldier who got shot didn’t have license to Shoot on sight, although he did, but took by surprise and couldn’t.
2- it WAS a pick-up truck, and supposedly we have a lot of surveillance cameras in place to capture a number or characteristic or something.
3- Police definitely sucks here, and it has proven numerous times here it’s of no good, except perhaps escort a drunk man coming out late from a night club unaware of who he is.
End of the story:
I don’t know what will happen now, the scenario of course will be: “we chased the robbers, deep to the mountains (where normal police CAN’T GO, they should always have army for that) and we arrested the robbers.
Police “MAY” have an excuse in Cairo, their stations were burnt, their cars were crashed, and their “morale” and mood sh%% is down, OK that is somehow acceptable in Cairo..
Now here on the other hand in Sharm, no single police officer has been touched, nor a single police car, has been scratched, and we didn’t even come close to their HQ…
Actually since last year, since #Jan25… policemen have had promotions, police cars have been replaced with VERY new shiny ones, Police station in Hadaba, Sharm, has a new section that’s being built now…
Actually I started to doubt if they need a little motivation from us to work, like we should go and burn some cars or something so they wake up.
Army is here already in Sharm, before they had to hide or wear police wear not to be seen (because of Camp David agreement and stuff), now it’s well deployed and can be used, we have numerous checkpoints around the city, ones that is equipped with 5 to 10 mixed police and army people…
Police in #Sharm, has NO EXCUSE of not being able to Protect a city, that can be easily contained security-wise.
UPDATED:
Bank front
Map for where the robbery attempt happened
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