Police increase patrols for public holiday weekend

The police announced on Friday they are to increase their patrols for the long weekend, due to Monday’s public holiday.

They said they are going to “take additional measures to prevent road collisions, ease traffic, and provide all possible assistance to road users,” in light of the expected increased volume of traffic on Cyprus’ road network over the weekend.

Those measures, they said, include “an intensification of motorised control and an increased police presence on highways and especially on main roads leading to the coasts and to the mountains.”

They added that special emphasis will be placed on offences which could cause fatal or serious road collisions, such as speeding, dangerous overtaking, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and a failure to wear a seat belt or a protective helmet for motorcyclists.

In this regard, they asked that road users be “especially careful and to comply with instructions of officers on duty.”

In addition, they pointed out that this weekend is considered “high risk” for potential break-ins and thefts, as people may take advantage of houses being empty.

As a result, they said, they will take “additional measures” to prevent such crimes, with increased pedestrian and motorised patrols both in towns and in villages.

They also called on the public to take preventative measures to protect their own homes should they go away for the weekend.

They said people should not leave signs that their homes are empty and that they should “cooperate with their neighbours they trust to monitor each other’s houses.”

In addition, they said, people should not leave keys in the locks of their doors on the outside, and they should ensure their doors, windows, and light fixtures are secured.

They also urged shop owners to leave their cash registers open and empty, to not leaver large sums of money in unsafe places, and to ensure their alarm systems are working.

Additionally, they said people should take extra care when walking in busy streets and public spaces.

They said, “money and credit cards should be placed in the front pockets of clothing and bags in which valuables are located would be preferably placed in such a way that there is constant visual contact with it.”