Union head claims police chief ‘silenced him’

Head of the police branch of Isotita trade union Nikos Loizides on Tuesday said police chief Stelios Papatheodorou attempted to silence him and the union by sending him a “threatening letter”.

The letter follows Isotita’s recent complaints about the force’s operations, Loizides said.

According to the letter, signed by Papatheodorou, Loizides “disclosed internal police matters, used offensive language, and mentioned allegations of disciplinary offences within the force” throughout four different televised interviews.

The six-page document also includes references to delicate matters, such as a prison escape and the ongoing investigation into the Osiou Avakoum scandal.

“During an interview on Alpha TV with journalist Katerina Agapitou, you [Loizides] you used offensive language towards the chief of police,” the letter sent to the Isotita head said.

“Among other things, you stated that he [Papatheodorou] aimed to silence your union’s branch and failed to support both you and fellow officers. You characterised the situation by claiming that you had been ‘castrated’, along with other members of the force.”

On the same day and during the same interview, Loizides was accused of disclosing information related to the police without legal authorisation or the approval of the police chief.

This included matters concerning police operations, capabilities, response to criminal activity, personnel distribution, and other issues unrelated to union duties.

The letter also mentioned three other interviews Loizides gave with three different TV stations, namely Sigma, Ant1 and Rik.

“During an interview with Sigma, you engaged in conduct deemed indecent and detrimental to discipline, potentially discrediting the police,” the letter continued.

“Specifically, you made several statements, including attributing the death of a police officer to leadership decisions, alleging instructions not to make arrests, and claiming that police officers were paid overtime without carrying out their duties in full.

“Moreover, you asserted that increased patrols would not deter crime, questioned the firearm licences of patrol officers, and criticised the lack of reform efforts to combat organised crime.”

The letter also reprimanded Loizides for an interview with Ant1, during which, according to Papatheodorou, the head of the union “claimed police officers were instructed to drop serious investigations to go on patrol and ridiculed the chief of police about patrol deployment numbers.

“Moreover, when asked about police training, you asserted you had no memory of, and there was no training at all. In the same interview, you alleged favours to businessmen.”

Finally, as far as Loizides’ interview with CyBC, the letter said, he “attributed disciplinary proceedings against police members, stadium violence, escapes, and other incidents to leadership mishandling.

“You also criticised the allocation of funds for police overtime, suggesting mismanagement and predicted increased crime if certain police practices persisted.

“Additionally, you exhibited disobedience to legal orders from the chief of police by speaking bout internal matters without authorisation or designation as a police spokesperson.”