Director of Aden Security Office to YT We have great ambitions for attaining security and stability in this city [Archives:2000/17/Law & Diplomacy]
April 24 2000
Q: How do you assess security situation in Aden?
A: I would like to tell the readers of the Yemen Times that security is prevalent in the city. We have strict instructions from President Ali Abdullah Saleh that security forces must spare no efforts to ensure security in Aden. On their part, security men always do their best to make Aden a secure place.
Q: To what extent the recommendations and decisions of the 10th conference for police officers have been followed up?
A: Just last Wednesday morning a special course for Aden police officers was concluded. This, in fact, is one of the fruits of the conference which recommended such courses to enable police officers to cope with the new developments. We even requested Aden University to participate in the conference that responded positively through a number of lectures in law and psychology to make the course even more practical and beneficial. Fortunately, the course was a success.
Q: How do you assess your job of detecting crimes?
A: As a security apparatus, we make every effort for ensuring stability, and it is really prevailing in Aden. However, crime is still there, but it is not that serious. There have been acts of sabotage, such as blasting incidents carried out by agents whom policemen have been able to detect.
Q: What about land disputes and the ambivalence in executing orders?
A: Administrative orders are sometimes conflicting. We try to avoid this through coordinating with the local authority, especially in cases related to land distribution and contradiction of judicial verdicts. This creates many problems for policemen. However, we are trying hard to overcome such problems.
Aden is becoming more important day after day especially after declaring Aden as a free zone and for this reason the number of people who want to purchase land zooms.
Q: How is the process of establishing special police force for the free zone going?
A: A special batch of police officers has graduated for this purpose. It consists of a well qualified and trained team to shoulder the responsibility of achieving security and stability in the free zone.
Q: What about the judicial police?
A: The Ministry of Interior has identified a number of police schools that accept eligible students to prepare them to form special judicial police. There will also be special police forces for airports and ports, criminal investigation and traffic. Regular training courses are to follow for graduates, according to their specialization. There will also be policewomen to work at locations that are suitable for them.
Q: Some police stations in Aden lack modern devices. What are your comments on this?
A: There were used to be only 6 police stations in Aden before unification. Now there are 17. This is one of the achievements after the unification. There are other achievements, of course, such as police patrol cars that go round the streets to see that all is well. There is also the central security unit that provides the city’s institutions with the needed help to attain security. It also provides police stations with highly qualified and well-trained personnel when needed.
A number of training courses have been held in Aden under the auspices of the Ministry of Interior to outline future plans to achieve security in the city. In addition, we are planning to facelift police stations buildings to keep abreast of the new development and changes.
Q: What are your future plans to qualify police officers?
A: There are many plans to improve the quality of their performance in detecting crimes and other assigned operations through their participation in a number of training courses in the city or even abroad. We also try to provide security apparatus with all new technical devices. On the other hand we try to make the relationship between policemen and the public closer and built on trust.
Q: Is it true that some irresponsible policemen blackmail people?
A: We denounce such practices certainly. Let me, through the Yemen Times, call upon all those who have been wronged by police elements to inform us and we will undo the wrong. I hope that the Yemen Times and other newspapers would disclose instances of policemen trying to blackmail people. Our leadership represented by President Ali Abdullah Saleh is more concerned about citizens’ security. You, journalists are specially requested to report on any such case to us for appropriate action.
Q: As a security body, to what extent are you committed to uphold human rights?
A: Our main objective as a security body is to protect human rights and property. We organize special courses on human rights from time to time for policemen. Our Holy Qur’an and the Republic’s constitution attach great significance to protection, as well as respect for human rights. We will not be tolerant with those who violate human rights.
Q: It was recently reported that smuggled goods are regularly entering the city. What would you say in this regard?
A: It is partially true. However, we cooperate with the authorities concerned such as the customs authority and the Southern District to control smuggling into the city. A few days back we were able to spot a good number of smuggled items such as cigarettes.
Q: Any last word?
A: We have great ambitions for attaining security and stability in this city. I hope that security will prevail in Aden and all over Yemen. I wish Yemen prosperity and progress. I would also like to congratulate our leader, president Ali Abdullah Saleh, the government and the Yemeni people on the occasion of 10th anniversary of unification. Through the Yemen Times let me also call upon policemen to match their leader’s expectations.
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