East Libya police have new priority: fighting crime

May 4, 2011 12:27 PM EDT

Just a few months ago, Benghazi police Colonel Abdallah Shweiter spent his time dealing with orders to silence Muammar Gaddafi's critics. These days, he's busy doing what his real job was all along -- hunting down thieves, crooks and stolen cars.

"Earlier, the police worked to serve the political order and security was second," he said. "But now we do what we should be doing, which is helping people, keeping them safe and secure. Now we respect people, we're trying to show we care about them."

Shweiter described his new work under the blackened ceilings of his police station, a building with partially destroyed walls and windows coming off their hinges after protesters torched government buildings when the Libyan uprising began.

Nearly three months after rebels rose up against Gaddafi's rule, Benghazi's police -- or what's left of it -- is trying to remodel itself as a trustworthy force in the hope of reassuring residents who fear security will collapse under the rebels.

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Maintaining law and order is crucial to preventing Libyans in the rebel-held east from losing faith in their administration as the conflict drags on and saps the revolutionary zeal that initially united Benghazi residents, Western diplomats say.

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Much of the police force melted into the population or stayed at home when the uprising began, and the rebel government has been calling on policemen to return to its ranks.

Young men in black uniforms with new Al-Aman Al-Watani (National Security) insignia -- to signal a break from the past -- can now be seen driving around the city in small white cars or helping to direct traffic at intersections.

"People want security, so they want us," said Shweiter, as a man came in to report a missing mobile phone SIM card. The 26-year police veteran proudly points out that his rusty desk, TV set and black chairs were all donated by Benghazi residents.

"We know they trust us because they come here."

"FREAKING OUT MY MOTHER"

For a city where security forces virtually disappeared overnight and gung-ho rebels with anti-aircraft guns mounted on pick-up trucks appeared instead, Benghazi is surprisingly safe. It is no Baghdad.

Policemen and officials say reported crime has dropped in Benghazi since the uprising. Shweiter, for example, says complaints have dropped to 15 from 40 a day and officials say there have been no reports of major incidents such as bank robberies or kidnappings despite the security vacuum.

Civilians have also stepped in to help, setting up neighbourhood patrols and directing traffic.

But a car bomb exploded late on Tuesday near the rebel movement's headquarters, and there have been reports of armed gangs showing up at homes and businesses demanding money.

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