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Dear Chief of Police and members of the Leadership,
First of all, I would like to express my thanks to you for organizing my visit today and to all of you for your presence here.
Our meeting today, in addition to its etiquette, is intended to inform you, and at the same time underline, the obligation to implement the President's programme of governance, the main pillar of which is to strengthen internal security and restore the sense of security and the citizens' confidence in the Police and the Institutions in general.
I, in turn, have set this objective as a top priority, and planning for its implementation begins today and will continue in the coming days with my visits to all Police Directorates, so that together with the Chief of Police and the rest of the leadership we can define the objectives for a more enhanced policing plan with direct reinforcement of the Stations/Departments and frontline services, a more intensive police presence throughout the 24-hour period and a direct and effective response to all calls from citizens.
This will be achieved by making full use of existing personnel and releasing them from clerical and other secondary duties to fill the vacancies in frontline Departments.
Mr. Chief,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The strengthening of law and order, the strengthening of internal security and the further enhancement of citizens' sense of security and trust in the Police are basic principles of a modern Rule of Law, a State whose primary concern is the continuous improvement and upgrading of the quality of life of its citizens and its economic development.
As the Police and the Ministry of Justice and Public Order, we are called upon to apply and safeguard these basic principles as the apple of our eye, always respecting human rights and basic freedoms.
The President of the Republic himself and I personally have high expectations of the Police and these, of course, must be met. Some recent incidents, which you are all aware of and I need not go into them further, have dealt a serious blow to the credibility, operational competence but especially to the trust of citizens in the Police. This will change and will change soon. There is no room for any errors or omissions, nor any more credit for time. The more effective management of public order and security in our country must be immediate and the signs must be tangible and discernible from all citizens.
I therefore call on you all to be active in this direction, to intensify your efforts and to exert the best of your strengths and capabilities so that we can soon restore the Police to where it should be in the eyes of the citizens and where it deserves to be.
Difficulties and problems exist and will always exist.
Difficulties and problems exist and will always exist. This is the case in all healthy organizations. With proper and methodical work, with the will and desire to achieve the desired goal, any problems can be circumvented and mitigated and not an alibi.
In conclusion, I would like to assure you that the Government and I personally will actively support the work of the Police and will work intensively to ensure that the citizens of our country have the Police that they deserve, but also that the members of the Police themselves feel proud of the Force in which they serve. I would also like you to know that concepts such as transparency and meritocracy are principles and values that have always accompanied me in my professional career so far, and will continue to accompany me and serve me throughout my ministry.
Thank you.
(EAT/GC)
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