Over 70 cadets joined the police force after completing three years of academy training, Justice Minister Anna Procopiou said on Friday.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony of the police academy, Procopiou said that 72 members of the police academy, who joined in August 2020, completed their training this year, and will take on duties force.

She added that another 76 members, who were accepted to the academy in 2021, are continuing their training.

Another five batches, consisting of a total of 289 probationary constables, have completed or are expected to complete or begin attending part of their basic training at the police academy and the University of Cyprus, within this year.

In addition, another 233 probationary constables have been recruited at the beginning of June 2023 and they are also expected to join the basic training follow-up programs, with the aim of completing this within three years from the date of their recruitment.police, police academy, justice minister, procopiou

The above [hires] demonstrate the great effort being made to substantially strengthen the police personnel and, by extension, the state’s response system to the real security requirements of the modern era and the defence of the fundamental principles that govern its operation,” she said.

According to Procopiou, the state has entrusted the Cyprus police with safeguarding the particularly critical area of public order and security, which, through a constantly changing socio-political environment and rapid technological developments and given the escalation, both at international and national level, of unprecedented challenges to the areas of security, including asymmetric threats, makes the role of the police even more important and at the same time difficult, in a now diversified working environment.

“Both for me personally and for the government, security is the cornerstone of the services we offer to the citizen,” she said.

She added that it is important that the presence and action of the police offer more security to the people, with full respect for human rights and basic freedoms.