No ‘honorary or special promotions’ will be granted to police officers who are children of missing or fallen soldiers Justice Minister Costas Fitiris informed parliament on Monday.

Responding to a question from Akel MP Christos Christofides, Fitiris said neither police law nor the relevant regulations provide for honorary promotion in recognition of the sacrifices made by their families.

“The current legislation does not provide for special or honorary promotion,” he said.

He further clarified that there was no provision for preferential advancement for serving police officers in these circumstances.

The issue revolves around the legal debate regarding preferential treatment for victims and their relatives in the public sector.

Previous legislation providing favourable arrangements for certain categories was struck down by the Supreme Court on constitutional grounds.

Laws passed in 1997 and 1998 provided for 10 per cent of vacant positions in the public sector to be filled by qualified victims and children of those entrapped in the north.

The provisions were declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 2002 on the grounds that they conflicted with the principle of equality under article 28 of the constitution.

Current police regulations do provide a limited exception concerning recruitment.

A candidate may be appointed to the police if their spouse, father or mother was a member of the force who died in the line of duty or remains missing as a result of the 1974 Turkish invasion.

Fitiris said that provision applies to appointments only and “does not extend to promotions”.