By Houda Mzioudet and Ahmed Elumami.
Tripoli, 1 September 2013:
Hundreds of former revolutionaries who have been trained as police are to be . . .[restrict]deployed in Benghazi from next week.
Of the 1,800 officers to have graduated from two Benghazi police training facilities, 1,450 will be taken on by Benghazi Security Directorate, according to Ministry of Interior spokesperson Rami Kaal. They will be deployed at police stations across Benghazi, as well as some in rural locations in the surrounding area.
Spokesman for Benghazi Joint Security Room, Colonel Abdullah Zaidi, told the Libya Herald that a further 150 police graduates would be stationed at Benina Airport, with another 150 at Benghazi Port. The remainder will be distributed around other vital institutions such as hospitals.
The new police officers have been trained as part of a Ministry of Interior plan to integrate former revolutionaries into the country’s official security personnel. Kaal told the Libya Herald that the move had been well-supported by civil society organisations and the general public.
The new Benghazi police are currently being fitted for their uniforms and are expected to start work next week. [/restrict]