Police to clamp down on Easter bonfires

Police in Limassol said they are set to intensify checks to clampdown on bonfires in the run up to Easter.

An announcement released on Thursday said that, from April 15, police officers will conduct targeted operations in the district in order to reduce the risk of incidents caused by the traditional Easter bonfires.

The upcoming clampdown was discussed at length during a meeting at the police headquarters in Limassol, which representatives of the municipality, the education ministry, the fire service, the civil defence, and the church also attended.

During the meeting, police officers provided advice to the attendants on how to avoid uncontrolled bonfires. They also underlined the importance of removing flammable materials from public areas throughout the Easter period.

According to the fire service, a total of 45 incidents involving uncontrolled fires were reported throughout March.

On top of that, municipality representatives during the meeting also added that certain areas of Limassol need better policing, especially during the Easter period, calling on the police to dispatch additional patrols to prevent incidents.

Limassol police spokesperson Marinos Vassiliou said that a special team consisting of 15 police officers has been set up to start checking sensitive areas that saw incidents during the Easter period throughout the past years.

“Some of the measures taken by the police are the control of areas that are considered problematic, after extensive mapping of the district was carried out in cooperation with the fire service and the municipality,” Vassiliou said, adding that police officers are also touring schools in Limassol to spread awareness on the dangers of bonfires and firecrackers.

“Checks will intensify starting from the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, in order to prevent incidents that have happened with alarming regularity throughout the years.”