Prison raided, armed police patrols on streets proposed (Updated)

In response to the surge of criminal activities throughout Cyprus in recent weeks, police chief Stelios Papatheodorou has proposed the deployment of armed patrols in the streets, it was announced on Thursday.

Papatheodorou’s proposal came during an extraordinary meeting that was held the previous day at the justice ministry, attended by Justice Minister Marios Hartsiotis.

During the meeting, it was decided that the police would examine the feasibility of implementing armed patrols. Hartsiotis said a decision would be made within the next three to four days.

Meanwhile, on Thursday morning police carried out a raid at the central prisons. According to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA), the raid aimed to conduct searches in the cells of convicts suspected of having links to the recent criminal activities in Paphos. No reports of arrests were made.

A Paphos public prosecutor’s car was completely destroyed on Tuesday night, while a police officer’s car was torched on Sunday. A few weeks earlier another public prosecutor was injured by a bomb outside her home.

Hartsiotis said he was due to meet the mayor of Paphos Phedonas Phedonos, stressing that the ultimate goal of the ministry is to strengthen people’s safety.

Responding to a question from the media about potential changes aimed at enhancing police readiness, the minister said that this falls under measures that will be studied and presented in the next days, following discussions.

He also said that during the meeting with the chief of police, the issue of football hooliganism and related violence was also discussed, anticipating that measures in that regard will also likely be implemented.

“Our goal is to strengthen the sense of security and safety for all people in the country to the greatest extent possible,” Hartsiotis said.

Meanwhile, police in Paphos are actively pursuing leads to identify the perpetrators behind Tuesday night’s attack on the  public prosecutor’s car.

The investigation is focusing on closed-circuit surveillance systems to secure potential witness testimonies.

Paphos police spokesperson Michalis Nicolaou told the CNA that officers are examining CCTV footage collected from petrol stations located close to the victim’s house.

However, he also added that so far, all examinations have not yielded any conclusive evidence.

The attack was widely condemned by attorney-general George Savvides, who also met Hartsiotis and the chief of police in Paphos to discuss the incident.

“This was a brazen, criminal attack against a colleague that shakes the foundations of the state,” Savvides told the media. “There is no more room for tolerance.”

Phedonos also said he is “concerned about the recent surge in criminal activities over the past 25 days in Paphos”.

Phedonos urged the justice minister and the police chief to explore ways to address the issues in Paphos, including the recruitment of personnel.

“What we are reaping now is the absence of will and a real policy to tackle drugs and crime,” he said.

The Paphos attacks came after an increased number of firearm-related incidents of late, with it believed that the incidents are related to underworld activities.

Shots were fired at a parked car in the Nicosia suburb of Aglandjia on Monday as part of an attempted murder. The would-be victim was reportedly a friend of Alexis Mavromichalis, who himself was shot dead on his balcony in October.

On Wednesday, gunshots were reported in the village of Yeri, outside Nicosia.