Recruitment procedures for 20,000 new Bahrain Interior Ministry employees will start on Sunday, it was announced.

Basic salaries will start from BD325 depending on positions in addition to allowances and other incentives, said ministry human resources assistant under-secretary Brigadier Hassan Al Samem.

The employment will cover the Coastguard, General Directorate of Traffic, General Directorate of Nationality, Passports and Residence Affairs and the Civil Defence.

The plan will be multi-phased depending on the training capacities of the ministry, said Brig Al Samem.

The recruitment aims at enforcing security presence on the streets across Bahrain in view of the rising number of protests as well as increase in population, he added.

The move only means the ministry is speeding up its already ongoing process of recruiting Bahrainis to work in the security force, said Brig Al Samem.

'There is a need for more police services due to the current increase of protests and rallies in the country,' he told a Press conference held at the ministry in Manama.

'The recruitment plan will also serve the increase in population to ensure security services are in line with this rise.

'The ministry has never stopped its recruitment process, but has now speeded it up due to the current need.'

Brig Al Samem said that the basic salary for the positions will be BD325.

'The salary of course depends on the candidates' qualifications and position that will be filled,' he said.

'But a newly appointed policeman gets BD325 as a basic salary, excluding allowances.'

Applications will be received at five dedicated centres in the country's governorate for both male and female candidates starting from Sunday.

They must be submitted during official working hours, which is from Sunday to Thursday from 8am to 1pm.

Centres receiving applications are the Muharraq Police Station, Northern Police Directorate in Hamad Town, Capital Police Directorate on Exhibition Road, Central Governorate Directorate in Isa Town and the Southern Police Directorate in Riffa.

Brig Al Samem said that applications that were previously submitted to the Human Resources Department would be incorporated in the employment package if they were still eligible.

Candidates should be Bahraini, no less than 162 centimetres tall, aged between 18 and 30 years and do not have any political affiliation.

They should have a certificate of good conduct and have not been sacked or discharged from the military service or have a criminal record.

All candidates should include all necessary documents in their application.

These include certificates from intermediate school or any educational level reached afterwards, of good conduct, marriage contract if applicable and four 4x6cm photos.

Copies of a candidate's passport, birth certificate and CPR should also be included.

All eligible candidates will take a test and undergo an interview as well as a medical test and physical fitness test.

Interior Minister Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa had earlier announced plans to recruit new employees to beef up the workforce.

The initiative followed directives from His Majesty King Hamad to boost employment in the ministry's departments for the people's safety.

Shaikh Rashid had said that his vision for the ministry aimed at instilling a feeling of security among people through a programme that guaranteed dignity and mutual respect.

He earlier said that His Majesty stressed that justice must be done following recent deplorable events and a committee had been set up to determine responsibilities for those events and achieve justice.-TradeArabia News Service