“They not only steal metals but anything they think has value and can be sold at the market,” Alona community leader Michalis Nikiforou said on Thursday.

His words came after another theft in the village, where an 85-year-old woman’s home was broken into.

Thieves entered the property and took a copper lid from a large cooking pot. The value of the object was small, but the encounter was troubling. When the woman confronted the intruders outside her home, they reversed their vehicle and nearly struck her before driving away.

Nikiforou said similar cases had been reported before, and while the problem had slowed for a time, it was now returning. 

“There is no policing. People, especially in rural areas, are vulnerable,” he said. 

He added that thieves often target elderly residents but will enter the homes of younger people when they find an opportunity.

Cameras have been installed outside the community council building to monitor activity, said Nikiforou.

Union of Communities president Andreas Kitromilides said metal theft had been a persistent issue. 

“We saw a big problem after the 2013 economic crisis,” he said. 

“It later calmed down, but the phenomenon is returning.”

The Union of Communities is discussing a local policing plan with the government, aiming to have at least one officer for each cluster of villages. 

“At first, we raised the idea of restoring neighbourhood police officers in all clusters,” said Kitromilides. 

“It is now being discussed as part of local government reform.”

The role and powers of such officers are still under discussion.