Can Someone Explain the Police and tell of your eperiences with them?

B617 Guest

0POSTS

15 years ago

Okay I hear everyone talking about the police in Egypt. Can someone advise me what to do if you are in trouble and need a policeman? Will they help you? How can you call them? Do you have to give them bakshish *tips* to get help from them?

How can you tell the difference in a soldier and a policeman? Will both help you if there is trouble?

The general thing I hear is that the police in Cairo are currupt; however, I'm hoping this is exaggerated, but, recently I was taking a guest and friend of mine to the Pyramids and these guys tried to trick us into paying 550 for the buggy ride instead of the 50 pound fee that was reasonable. I went to a policeman nearby to report these guys and the policeman tried to convince me too that the real fee was 550, and I know not all the fingers the same. I told the policeman he was haramy *a thief,* and he was.

What are some of your experiences with police, good and bad, and what should we expect?

Can someone explain the tourist police?

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valibilic ViP

522POSTS

15 years ago

The Police officers are very correct persons, and they do a great job! Some of them speak English, so the communication is easy!
Most of policemen don t speak any English, so they can t help you as soon as you don t have nearby an interpreter, or you don t speak Arabic.
This type of business with increase the prices or changing their mind and asking more are common near touristic places or with taxi drivers. They try to get the advantage, and to get more money considering a visitor or a traveler doesn t have time to spend with them to fix the problem, and to escape of them, just they pay how much they ask!

valibilic ViP

522POSTS

15 years ago

And to add, sure it is a phone number where you could call. Here is some and some more that you could use!

Police: 122
Emergency Police: 122, Traffic Police: 128, Tourist police: 126

Fire Brigade: 180
Heliopolis: 633-0954, Maadi: 525-3873, Giza: 761-0259/761-0258/761-0257, Tahrir: 391-5289.391-0115/391-1727 Ext.: 271

Public Utility Services
- Electricity Emergency: 121
- Natural Gas: 129
- Water: 575-0059/575-7416

Public Transportation Services
- Cairo Old Airport Information: 265-5000/265-3333/265-3413/14/15
- Cairo New Airport: 265-2029/265-2222/265-2436
- Cairo Air Information: 635-0270/635-0260
- Railway Information: 575-3555
- Egyptian Company for Navigation: 575-9058/575-9166

Public Call Services
- Telephone Number Assistance: 140/141
- Telephone Billing Inquires: 177
- Central Operator Information: 142
- Telephone Complaints: 16
- International Calls Information: 120
- Telephone Trouble Shooting: 188
- International Calls Billing Inquires: 09002222

General Services
- Ministries & Governmental Departments information; 131
- Ministry of Interior Affairs Information: 128
- Tourism Information: 391-3454
- T.V & News Agencies: 578-7155/578-7120/578-9355
- Weather Information: 684-9852/684-9853/684-9851
- Credit Cards: 146

Western Union Money Transfer: 796-2151

IrishAlexandrian Contributor

126POSTS

15 years ago

My advice is to have your Embassy number on speed dial and a photocopy of your passport with you at all times.

Police Officers are the ones who have the stars on their shoulders. (3 stars and and eagle, is very high up the ladder) Some of them speak broken or very good English and some times French. Depends on the schooling.

The guys in the white (summer) Uniforms or black (winter) uniforms in the street are usually traffic cops.

The guys in Green holding ancient looking guns are military guards. The ones in green with red barray's are National Guards.

From what I hear the law enforcement are very helpful when it comes to expats. When it comes to the locals, we aren't given an easy time. ESPECIALLY the women.

Corruptions is every where!

shorouky Active member

28POSTS

15 years ago

If you have made good friends with an Egyptian, telephone them and ask them to help. There is a police station very close to the Mena House Hotel and you can file a report but you usually need a translator. If you can't be bothered to do this, carry a small notepad with you. Write down the description of the person and the policeman. If they have a number on their uniform look as if you are writing it down. They then normally do what you ask! Sadly, shouting loudly usually helps too. For some strange reason many Egyptians understand shouting!

Jennifer20Texas/cairo Active member

40POSTS

15 years ago

OMG So glad i came by this post... Corruption in Egypt is HORRIBLE. Police Men wont ask for money (Tips) , but they will have someone "below" them ask for them. They all stick together, because they all get something out of deceiving foreigners. I would recommend making friends with an Egyptian so that you can tag them along with you.. Hintz what i do. Sadly, Egypt could be an amazing place if the corruption wasn't so bad.
My husband and I talked about the accomplishments the Egyptian "president" has done in his 30 year as a ruler. It is more like a kingdom than a republican country. Besides building the Metro and a couple of other transportation issues he hasn't done anything, This is due to all the corruption he has done and allowed other to do.
Lets see if the Kingdom stays together when he dies, will the thrown be left to his son?!?!?!

campingguy Active member

69POSTS

15 years ago

For Americans, call the embassy at 027973300. They have roving embassy security (Egyptians) and will send them to assist. A few years ago I was sitting at a checkpoint with a car a couple of millimeters in front of me, a car just as close on my left, and another so close behind me that he bumped me a couple of times. Nothing on the right except enough shoulder for a moped. A city bus came shooting up the shoulder and then hit the side of my vehicle. The police at the checkpoint started yelling at me as if I had run into the bus! I called the embassy to ask what I should do and in less than 10 minutes they had several security guys there. Turns out the bus driver had lost his license a couple of weeks earlier in another accident. The embassy security guys took my license and paperwork for my car and told me to go home and wait. Several hours later they showed up and gave me the stuff back and told me they had taken care of the reports and that everything was taken care of. People have told me of problems when walking downtown and so on, have called for help and have received similar assistance.

B617 Guest

0POSTS

15 years ago

Thank you that was very helpful

I saved the number.

valibilic ViP

522POSTS

15 years ago

campingguy wrote:
For Americans, call the embassy at 027973300. They have roving embassy security (Egyptians) and will send them to assist.

And for the rest of citizenship ?
I should say " try to manage by yourself!". I had problems with the previous owner of the flat where i lived, I called my Embassy, and they gave me the number of police only!

Sandra_89 New member

4POSTS

15 years ago

#10

actually a soldier is less than a police man officer and he can only help a little if he could always ask the help of the police man not the soldier.dont worry the police is very helpful specialy to tourists and expats as tourism in Egypt is very important for the national economy.
about what you may heared about the problems with the police,let me tell you something about that:that is completely diffrent from your situation this is something related to our inner policy

take care

leprechaun1188 Contributor

105POSTS

15 years ago

#11

Perhaps this is just me, but I've had a terrible experience with the police in Egypt. Without knowing someone in the police exactly, (as in, you know a ranking general to call on immediately) I hope to NEVER have to deal with the police in Egypt again.

I was attacked on the streets in Maadi about three years ago, and this was at a time that my stepfather was working here as a diplomat. I had a diplomatic passport.

I was attacked on the street by two Egyptian men. Two men in a car drove past me and threw petrol all over me. It wasn't even late at night, and I wasn't even on my own. They then proceeded to turn their car around, get out, and approach (aggressively might I add), my friend and I. One of the men began pushing my friend around, ultimately breaking his nose. The other came at me, struck me twice, until al7amdolelah I was able to swing my keychain across his face, and I hope I broke his jaw.

I did nothing to provoke this attack, and called the Embassy immediately. They sent someone from the Regional Security Office (RSO) who deal with attacks on US citizens. He escorted me to the police station, along with my friend, and my clothes that were drenched in petrol and blood from my friend's nose.

The police proceeded to tell me it must have been my fault. That I was stupid for not having gotten the car license plate number. That they could do "nothing." That they would "keep my clothes" and keep me updated on the future.

I was kept in a small stuffy office for over 3 hours while forced to recant what had happened. And in the end, I was treated as the criminal, not the victim.

I hope that nobody else on this board ever has an experience like that, and unless you absolutely have to, or you have good connections, I recommend avoiding dealing with the Egyptian police entirely, particularly as a woman.

IrishAlexandrian Contributor

126POSTS

15 years ago

#12

Leprechaun! I'm so sorry to hear that you went through that traumatic experience with the thugs and then the police!

She is right though, the police will always blame women for what ever the incident maybe. They will say that 'she' provoked the situation.

campingguy Active member

69POSTS

15 years ago

#13

Until you mentioned your experience I'd forgotten about how my son had a similar experience when he was visiting me. He got robbed when coming home in a taxi from the Khan, so reported it to the police. Same treatment by them as you got (he was at the Maadi police station). I had just gotten home from having dinner with an Egyptian friend who's brother is high-ranking in the police and my friend was with me (gave me a ride home) and it took that to get them to release my son - the victim! I hadn't called the RSO (didn't know about them at that point) but it sounds like they dropped the ball big-time in your case.

leprechaun1188 wrote:
Perhaps this is just me, but I've had a terrible experience with the police in Egypt. Without knowing someone in the police exactly, (as in, you know a ranking general to call on immediately) I hope to NEVER have to deal with the police in Egypt again.

I was attacked on the streets in Maadi about three years ago, and this was at a time that my stepfather was working here as a diplomat. I had a diplomatic passport.

I was attacked on the street by two Egyptian men. Two men in a car drove past me and threw petrol all over me. It wasn't even late at night, and I wasn't even on my own. They then proceeded to turn their car around, get out, and approach (aggressively might I add), my friend and I. One of the men began pushing my friend around, ultimately breaking his nose. The other came at me, struck me twice, until al7amdolelah I was able to swing my keychain across his face, and I hope I broke his jaw.

I did nothing to provoke this attack, and called the Embassy immediately. They sent someone from the Regional Security Office (RSO) who deal with attacks on US citizens. He escorted me to the police station, along with my friend, and my clothes that were drenched in petrol and blood from my friend's nose.

The police proceeded to tell me it must have been my fault. That I was stupid for not having gotten the car license plate number. That they could do "nothing." That they would "keep my clothes" and keep me updated on the future.

I was kept in a small stuffy office for over 3 hours while forced to recant what had happened. And in the end, I was treated as the criminal, not the victim.

I hope that nobody else on this board ever has an experience like that, and unless you absolutely have to, or you have good connections, I recommend avoiding dealing with the Egyptian police entirely, particularly as a woman.

leprechaun1188 Contributor

105POSTS

15 years ago

#14

Yeah. Well I recently found out that it's not just the RSO who has their hands tied, when it comes to incidents involving foreigners there's actually not much the embassies can do unless you yourself are a diplomat, or military personnel. :S

valibilic ViP

522POSTS

15 years ago

#15

I feel sorry to hear something like this! Usually they consider an unveiled woman a " reason" for bad behavior of men. But in Egypt they protect foreigners, and pay attention to them.
I had a problem when I was in Alexandria, and policemen behaved nice with me, took care of me, and no matter that " upper persons" tried to influence them, they were correct, and took a decision in my favor!
Also, I could see there the commander of police station that stayed and worked since early in the morning till very late at night, not just spending his time, really solving situations. I was lucky, I could say, reading what happened with other persons!

whedy Active member

71POSTS

15 years ago

#16

Mark you can call 122 if you need the police
and of course you should call them if you are in big trouble
also you can call me easier my friend

valibilic ViP

522POSTS

15 years ago

#17

Calling 122 is very useful if you speak Arabic!
If you don t speak Arabic, they could understand nothing and you are not able to understand them, too!