Local crime prevention councils have been created in Limassol, Justice Minister Marios Hartsiotis said on Tuesday.

He said the pilot project, implemented in Limassol since November 2024, aimed to “further strengthen the relationship between the police and citizens”. He added, that he was optimistic that the project would expand throughout the island.

“Police alone, without the participation of society and local government and without cooperation with other ministries and the local community itself, cannot shoulder the burden of preventing and effectively addressing crime (…),” he said.

Further upgrades to the cooperation between citizens and the police were underway to support the “participatory crime prevention policy”, he added.

These include community policing, installing neighbourhood police officers, neighbourhood observers and neighbourhood social workers.

The councils advise on alternative, de-centralised and participatory policies to meet the requirements of local societies.

The findings of the councils will later be shared with a yet-to-be-established “central coordinating body”.

That body, consisting of the education, health, welfare and justice ministers will then coordinate and support actions in response to the councils’ findings in collaboration with the police and the anti-crime-unit.

Local crime councils have been established in several other European countries including Austria, Croatia and Greece.

Limassol mayor Yiannis Armeftis outlined the municipality’s “commitment to a safe and inclusive city for all, which strengthens social cohesion and seeks solutions to modern challenges. 

“With proper information, cooperation and the development of preventive mechanisms, we can create an environment where every citizen will feel safe and every young man and woman will have equal opportunities to develop and progress,” he added.

The number of verified cases of serious offences, referred to as the ‘crime index’, climbed up to 584 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in 2022, representing a significant increase from 501 cases 2021 and 482 in 2020.

In both 2022 and 2021, offences against property and offences relating to drugs constituted the largest numbers of crimes.