500 new officers to join police force

Five hundred new police officers will be hired, Justice Minister Marios Hartsiotis said on Tuesday, which will strengthen the force.

The minister’s announcement came in the midst of criticism that previously announced measures to tackle rising organised crime on the island were insufficient.

Speaking from the Limassol Police Department, the minister said the visit’s purpose was of a general informational nature.

“We have highlighted specific issues that need improvement,” the minister said, following a briefing on issues faced by the Limassol police chief.

Hartsiotis went on the highlight that what matters immediately is the implementation of the measures [announced on Monday] and that this would be the goal over the next few days, “to see concrete, tangible results.”

Hartsiotis also noted that there were some internal organisational issues within the police which needed to be improved.

“There are issues that need improvement, certainly, in terms of staff, facilities, detention centres, which we have seen and marked,” he said, reiterating that restoring public confidence and sense of security were the goal of the first measures announced.

Regarding beefing up numbers, the minister said that within 2024 recruitments of about 500 police officers would follow, some in contract positions, and some at hired as special police, which he expected to would provide a “partial solution” to the serious problem of understaffing faced by the force.

However, measures imminently to be implemented are based on strengthening the force as it stands, he said.

“We cannot wait for staffing procedures [and] improved facilities […] when crime has reached [its current level]. The goal is to effect improvements of the existing situation first,” the minister emphasised.

Transfers and restructuring must be done “right and at the right time”, correctly and methodically, Hartsiotis added.

“This was the goal of the three-to-four-day deadline given to the police headquarters, so that the necessary studies can be done on what can be applied immediately [to curb] violence and crime,” the minister explained.

“Empowerment and reinforcement” were the key tactics of his ministry over the matter, Hartsiotis said.

Bombs and arsons will not “go away” he said.

“There are not many measures we could invent [other than] specific [ones] applied [worldwide]. The point is that these measures should be strengthened, immediately, with existing staff to see better results. Everything else will be dealt with in time,” the minister said.