Extract 2: After the delegate of the higher commandment had visited the chief of police, the latter hadn’t been contacted or given any orders during the five days following the incident, which kept him from doing anything.
Delegate: Hello, I am very happy to meet you.
Chief of police: The pleasure is mine.
Delegate: Everybody says hello and they are enthusiastic to observe your work and see how you will respond to the present situation.
Chief of police: I am always at your orders.
Delegate: There is a small message they assigned me to pass to you and I prefer that we talk in private.
The chief of police signals to the officer to leave and invites the delegate to sit with him on the table. The men are alone. The delegate stretches his legs on the table.
Delegate: Stretch your legs, be comfortable.
Chief police: No problem.
Delegate: Don’t be shy, I am telling you to stretch your legs or you would only do it if we give you orders. (The delegate laughs in a silly way).
Chief of police: I am really ok like this.
Delegate: Come on man, for my sake, no formalities, I really feel like I want to get to know you. I heard you are a nice man who enjoys live and appreciates fun.
The chief of police stretch his legs on the table feeling a little bit confused.
Delegate: Yes, you should have done this from the start. (He takes out a pack of cigarettes and hands to the chief of police) take a cigarette.
He takes a cigarette.
Chief of police: Thank you.
The delegate lights up his cigarette then that of the chief of police. Takes a smoke and looks at it.
Delegate (with sarcasm): These cigarettes are really strange, aren’t they? They are too small. Do you know why?
Chief police: No, This is the first time I see those kinds of cigarettes.
Delegate: it’s definitely the first time you see them…we get them directly from the port. It seems they didn’t sell very well, so they decided to give them to us for free! But they taste like shit! the funny thing is that on the pack, it is written dedicated sincerely from a certain nation. (He laughs in a silly way). Another country’s nation is offering our department cigarettes. What is worse is that these cigarettes come in small sizes to fit in the pack because what is special about these cigarettes, mind you, is that the pack comes with 40 cigarettes. When they tried to market it, it was on the basis of more cigarettes but cheaper than the ordinary pack! The pack is even called ‘forty’ (laughs in the same silly way) but we always receive nicer and more expensive gifts.
Chief of police: I am at your orders Sir.
Delegate: You don’t feel like chatting, this is good and not so good at the same time.
Chief of police: No sir, don’t get me wrong, but I didn’t know what to say to you.
Delegate: Anyway, I don’t have much time; I will go into the subject immediately. You know that in front of people we act in one way but on other side we have our own way that ordinary people should not necessary be aware of. Let us call it ‘our strategy’ if you want. We have been observing you for some time and we see that you have not been given an opportunity to progress in an appropriate manner.
For the first time, you have an exceptional situation in your area…We know how long you have been serving this area…during all this time, when you were responsible for this sector, not a single theft incident took place…we are really surprised and amazed…this point in specific is not to your interest nor to ours.
Chief police: What do you mean?
Delegate: How long have you been in the local police?
Chief police: 20 years.
Delegate: What was the major operation you did?
Chief police: there was never a big operation ….small things happened but insignificant.
Delegate: Well that’s Because all the major criminal operations happen in the suburbs. You were born here, correct?
Chief police: I was born and raised here.
Delegate: Did anything happen during this time?
Chief police (tries to remember): No.
Delegate: This means that your department is not functioning. It’s not possible that nothing is happening! You should be careful, watch out for the details and keep your eyes open. If you didn’t find anything going wrong, you should look for it. Create it and make it exist. Look, I will be very clear and honest with you. This man in the coffee shop, without his knowing, is giving you your chance. What is his name?
Chief of police: Walid.
Delegate: He thinks he has to do some damages to win his freedom. But the way he did that was wrong. The whole world, the analysts, the psychologists and the police, think he made a mistake. So you, as a person in charge of this operation, are right, before even doing anything. You can kill him and become a hero. But my question for you is, and think well before giving me an answer, do you want to become a hero in the eyes of people, or a hero in our eyes?
Chief police: I don’t understand your question.
Delegate: do you want to win practically, and see what you have won, or just win theoretically.
Chief police: What are you saying?
Delegate: What I am saying is that since this man created a new situation and is stuck there; let us all and you in particular make use of the situation. We all agreed on a new objective for this operation. ‘Our strategy’ is to run the operation in reverse. To do so, we need someone to implement it. This time, by chance, it seems that it’s you (he mumbles) I mean not by chance, I really think you haven’t had your opportunity, then something happened that reminded us that you still exist and you are the only one who can implement this operation.
Chief of police: But how are we going to run the operation in a reverse?
Delegate: Exactly, you know that the situation at the country level is complicated and the security department is in a state of alert and is in the most critical phase since its establishment. We managed to make use of all the incidents that took place lately as well as those which will happen in the future. We are popular now, people used to hate us before, but now if anyone of us dies, the whole nation feels upset, this is because they are afraid. When they are afraid, they need someone to protect them, to preserve their security. They finally understood who we are. They appreciate us now, they knew why we have to be brutal with them and they accepted it. We did not create this situation but this is our chance to activate it. You have just told me that it has been 20 years since anything happened in your area. This does not coincide with our new plan. We are thinking of creating a balance among all regions, let there be damages in all regions. Let me remind you again that it is not us that are causing this damage; there are people whom we are against in life and who have decided on their own to cause damages. If you decide to keep your area as calm as it is now, you will be an exception and you will be compromising your new strong position without any justification. My brotherly advice to you is to stretch this operation, let him be imprisoned in the coffee shop, what will you lose? Make use of him being inside the coffee shop. If he stays inside, he will ensure your continuity and that of your men and he will provide a justification for our existence as well. We have to divert the attention of people and show them that we can protect them and that they can entrust us with their lives without reluctance. In other words, we will both cover for each other. We offer them security and they give us their trust and draw a good reputation. In this way, each one of us does what he is supposed to do, which is our work. The longer this crisis lasts, the more military and financial aids we will get, this is the politics. We are in a state of chaos, as long as there is chaos, we will continue to be externally supported with weapons and money, which we know very well how to spend and how to distribute. You are a responsible person and you like to progress and together we can help you. What do you say?
Chief of police: I agree and am completely convinced with what you are saying, but there is a small detail which I would like to ask about and that is the press and how we can justify for them the new situation. We haven’t done anything in two days.
Delegate: The press is not a problem; they have work to do as well. Who would have imagined that something might happen here? After a while, they will understand what we are doing because they are sneaky and only care about their own interests. Listen, you can explain to them as a first step, that you are indirectly negotiating with him and that your strategy is to ‘let the mouse come to you’. Tell them that you are practicing psychological and physical seizure on the criminal. No food, no drink. There is no way he can escape and the police are constantly watching him. His only solution is to turn himself in and in this way we wouldn’t lose anyone. Tell them these are new healthy and sound methods that the police are using. You can say that this is due in part to the training sessions on fighting terrorism which are taking place abroad and to which we are sending our best officers and our soldiers are being trained by the best people using the most modern developed tools. Right?
Chief of police: Correct, don’t worry about that.
The officer approaches the chief of police.
Officer: Food is here.
Chief of police: Did you order rice for me?
Officer: I forgot.
Chief of police: Forgot! (Looks at the delegate) Would you like to eat with us?
Delegate: No, It is becoming dark. Oh, I forgot to tell you that there is no problem in carrying out an undercover attack, it is preferable. this is my telephone number, if you have any questions, give me a call.
The delegate leaves.
Chief police: Leave it to me Sir. (To the officer) Cut off the electricity form the coffee shop.
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