TRIPOLI — Two criminal investigation bodies, both part of the Ministry of the Interior were merged Saturday in a ceremony in Tripoli. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Counter Crime Agency (CCA) have been merged into an enlarged CCA. The CID had been under the direct control of the ministry while the CCA was run by the Supreme Security Committee (SSC), itself also part of the ministry but with a separate structure and direction. It has been comprised mainly of former revolutionaries. The SSC is being wound down and the new CCA will be directly under the authority of the ministry. It is hoped that the merger will improve efforts in the battle against crime and establishing security in the country. The new body will be run by the former head of the CID, Col. Abdul Salam Ashour. At Saturday's ceremony were the Interior Minister Ashour Shuwail, Col. Ashour and Col. Mahmoud Sherif, Tripoli's police chief. Also attending were the heads of the Borders Agency, the Passports Department, the General Administration of Public Relations, the regional heads of police and the heads of CCA offices across the county. During the ceremony, the old flag of the CID was handed over to the new CCA. — Libya Herald
