Police gears up to prevent Easter bonfires

Meetings discussing preventive measures against firecrackers and bonfires are set to take place in the next few days, ahead of Easter.

On Wednesday, police officers and members of the fire service met in Paphos to discuss what steps could be taken.

Also attending were police officers operating in the Yeroskypou municipality, an area that saw several incidents involving accidental fires in the run-up to Easter during past years.

Paphos police spokesperson Michalis Nicolaou said the meeting served the purpose of coordinating different bodies in order to reduce the risk of uncontrolled bonfires and consequent damages to people and properties.

He said more meetings will be organised in the upcoming days.

Last week, police in Limassol also said they are set to intensify checks to clampdown on illegal bonfires, with officers conducting targeted operations in the district in order to reduce the risk of incidents.

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

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.