Egypt’s interior minister has said that his staff are working on treating citizens '"humanely" after public criticism of police abuses, the Ahram Arabic news website has reported.

Magdy Abdel Ghaffer said in a meeting with top security officials on Wednesday that his staff are advising policemen on how to be more aware of the “balance between ensuring security and the rights of citizens… and human rights and freedoms”.

Last month, critical reports emerged in local newspapers on the police's alleged torture and mistreatment of detainees.

Recently, several cases of alleged police violence have been brought to court, including the killing of a peaceful protestor and the death of a lawyer in a police station.

Local and international rights organisations have repeatedly called for the reform of the interior ministry and an end to its culture of unaccountability.

Police abuse and unaccountability were one of the main reasons people revolted in January 2011, with revolutionaries choosing 25 January – Police Day – to mark the start of their uprising.