A “series of attacks” was carried out on shops in the Paphos district on Friday night, hours after the police had concluded overnight patrol in the town’s central Moutallos neighbourhood, the force said on Saturday.

Officers had been deployed to Moutallos following recent attacks on food delivery riders in the area and “complaints from residents about the behaviour of groups of young people”.

However, the police said, once officers left the area on Friday night, “young people allegedly carried out attacks on shops, causing damage to at least eight businesses” in Paphos and in the nearby villages of Chlorakas and Tala.

“The damage caused to the premises is being recorded and assessed by the competent authorities, while police investigations are underway to identify the persons involved in the incidents,” police said.

Meanwhile, the Cyprus News Agency reported that “the chronological sequence of events, with the police operation preceding and the vandalism following, is at the centre of investigations”.

It also reported that “residents are calling for more effective policing, expressing fears that the situation could escalate”.