Cairo Security Director Mohsen Mourad said on Tuesday that there are 4,000 very dangerous fugitive prisoners engaging in criminal activity on the streets of Cairo after escaping during the security vacuum following the uprising that ousted former President Hosni Mubarak.
Speaking to Parliament’s Defense and National Security Committee, Mourad said the police force faces fewer problems than before, but these problems strongly impact its performance.
“We must secure the protests for social and economic demands at the same time as carrying out our regular duties,” he said. “But the picture is not that bleak."
Mourad asked the committee to help the police in their mission, and criticized the media for claiming at one point in time that security was non-existent. “The media tempted people who were not criminals to commit crimes and get away with it,” he said.
Thousands of inmates escaped prisons in the early days of the January uprising, taking advantage of the security void.
On 7 February, MPs questioned Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim during a session of Parliament. He received scathing criticism for security forces’ performance.
Ibrahim has faced calls for his resignation and investigation following the death of over 70 people during violence after a football match Port Said on 1 February. Seventeen protesters died in ensuing clashes between protesters and security forces around the country. Most were killed near the Interior Ministry in Cairo.
