generalspeaking

Survival of the Prepared

What do you do when you live in a society that is ordinarily well policed to ensure public security and that police presence is suddenly removed? In most societies it becomes a problem, where that vacuum in lawful authority presents as an opportunity to the criminals that exist in any society. In a society that has a large number of very poor and where a small minority live in relative wealth, and there is little recourse by the poor to justice, many more may turn to crime than in more regulated societies.

Now that the police presence in residential and business areas of Cairo and other large Egyptian cities like Alexandra has evaporated as police have been ordered to be present in large phalanxes at demonstrations, the problem of pillaging and looting has raised its ugly head. Area residents, concerned about the very real threats to their homes and businesses have arranged for local teams of youths and men to arm themselves to defend against looters.

Women and children are left to fend for themselves, fearful of violent intrusion and robbery as their men are deployed out on the streets in the absence of the police. The hated police have suddenly become valuable in their absence, no longer at their normal posts to ensure law and order. The diversion caused by the rioters protesting against government corruption have allowed the criminal underbelly of the cities to crawl out from under their places of refuge.

Those neighbours who have been deputized to act as defenders of neighbourhood homes and stores are alert to the passing presence of unfamiliar faces, and suspicion is rife. Rampant insecurity has led to a sense of vulnerability and people take comfort and trust in committees set up in their neighbourhoods to act in concert for self-protection from criminals preying on the lawful.

"We are organizing to go outside shops and stay in front of properties." This, in a city where, thanks to the ever present police, people have always been free to roam about without fear of being accosted other than by the police themselves, for questioning. Now that there is an absence of police there is also an absence of social protection, other than what can be organized by ordinary residents.

Free from police, and subject to the depredations of the criminals who loom as a new threat to home owners and residents of quiet neighbourhoods. "We are terrified. We are staying with the children in an inner room of the house. All the men have gone downstairs to try to protect our buildings. What are we supposed to do? There is no police; the army is not doing anything. This is ridiculous. What are they waiting for?"

Revolution is no quiet, comfortable and outcome-predictable initiative as forces are unleashed that no single entity is capable of controlling.

Labels: Human Relations, Human Rights, Middle East, Political Realities

posted by Pieface @ Sunday, January 30, 2011