NOTES OF MEETING WITH THE POLICE AT THE
KAMARES CLUB 22 MAY 2018
After a brief introduction by Cathi
Delaney she explained that regrettably the head of the Burglary Unit in Paphos
had advised at short notice that he could not attend as he had been called to
an urgent incident.
This meant that there would be a
presentation by Andros Stylianou, the Community Policeman for Geroskipou,
regarding Neighbourhood Watch and the opportunity for questions only relating
to that topic. It was appreciated that
the non-attendance by the head of the Burglary Unit was regrettable but that
Cathi would endeavour to obtain answers to the questions already raised with
her but that this would probably take time.
Cathi also asked that if people had questions they wished to raise with
the Burglary Unit, could they please email her.
Good morning to
everyone. Thank you for being here
My name is Andros Stylianou and I am a community police officer at
Geroskipou area. I am here today, to talk you about the basic information of Neighborhood
Watch scheme.
What is Neighborhood
Watch scheme:
1.
is a crime prevention scheme that is implemented
through a partnership / cooperation between the Police, Local Authorities
and Citizens.
2.
The aim of the scheme is to raise public awareness about personal and home security
3.
and to encourage
citizens to actively participate in
crime prevention, with the ultimate goals of reducing criminality,
increasing the level of safety and generally improving the quality of
life
Within the framework
of the implementation of the Neighborhood Watch scheme, the Police:
1.
Informs about the offences
committed in your area, or about offences which may affect you in some way.
2.
Advises regarding crime
prevention measures such as: How to make your home and property less attractive
to criminals and how to watch out for suspicious or criminal activity.
3.
Advises NOT TO PUT YOUR LIFE
IN DANGER and let the Police chase and arrest criminals as it is their
responsibility.
4.
Encourages reporting to the
police any unusual, suspicious or criminal behavior that you may notice.
Members’ roles
You, the members of
your Neighborhood Watch scheme, are the eyes and ears of your area.
Don’t leave it up to others! Be alert and play a part in any way you can.
Work together with your neighbors, fellow citizens
and the Police for your own safety, the safety of your family and property, as
well as of the area where you work, or live.
Area Co-ordinator
The Area Co-ordinator serves as a link between the Police and the
members of each Neighborhood Watch scheme. The Area Co-ordinator for Tala is
Cathi Delaney from Tala Council and she is responsible for:
1.
Organizing meetings for the Members of
the NWS
2.
Keeping close contact with the Police
3.
Promoting activities that develop and
strengthen the scheme.
4.
Encouraging the participation of new Members
How to contact the
Police
If you notice that any life or property is in any danger or under any
form of threat (e.g. fire) or if you suspect that an offence had been or
may be committed, or if you have heard / seen anything suspicious,
call: 112.
For non-urgent incidents, call your local police station (26-806060), or Citizens Line 1460.
On the NWS leaflet, you can find the information required by the Police,
which will help you give a description of a suspicious person or / vehicle.
How to enter the
Neighborhood Watch scheme:
People who are not already members of NWS, please fill the form with your details or email Cathi Delaney with your
information [toffee@primehome.com]. Tala communicate security and NW matters
via email.
Police leaflets [text from the leaflets is now on www.talanews.blogspot.com - Category Security]
I suggest that everyone takes the police leaflets we brought here for
you. These are about:
1. Neighborhood Watch
scheme,
2. Protecting yourself
from a burglary and
3. Vehicle theft
prevention tips, so as you won’t become the next victim!
Thank you very much for your attention
QUESTIONS/ISSUES –
some issues were raised several times so questions/replies have been combined
together in some instances:
1 Neighbourhood Watch signs and stickers
Could there be more
signs installed around Kamares please if these were felt to be a deterrent.
It was pointed out
that signs had been placed at all the main entrances to Tala and Kamares. However, as a Council, Tala are often criticized as
people feel there is either too much signage, or they do not like where a sign
has been positioned [ie it is visible from their property or verandah].
2 How long does it take the Police to respond
to a call?
Response time will
depend on where patrols are, what resources there are available and what other
incidents there are at the time. There
is a shortage of Police officers.
Andros gave an example of an incident around a month ago when he went to
a complaint regarding loud music. The
problem was in fact a drunk woman and he had gone to the call on his own. The woman was swearing at him and trying to
attack him. In the end he had to arrest
her, but needed help in case she accused him of assault. He had to wait 40 minutes for help to
arrive, so it was important for residents to realise that staffing levels
affect not only residents but also Police officers.
Residents also pointed
out that with some villas there was a plot no on the gate and for others a
house number. Which will Police
use? Residents should tell the Police
the number shown alongside their gate – if they give a house number but the
sign is for the plot number then this will create confusion! If possible, could residents please ensure
that the sign is for their house number as this will help not only the Police
but anyone else trying to reach their property.
There have also been comments regarding the
fact that many roads in Kamares are not shown on Google maps. Cathi has tried to contact Google without
any joy and the matter is now with the Marketing Department of Leptos to try
and rectify the matter. The majority of
Police vehicles now have SatNav fitted.
3 Higher Police presence required.
We hear that burglars
take around 7-10 minutes to break into a property and steal whatever they wish
to steal. We need more front line Police
to help residents and Police. A small
Police Station in Kamares with one or two officers is needed.
Another resident
advised that Cyprus was no different to any other country. You would not get Police responding to a
burglary within minutes, wherever you were.
Perhaps it was now time for residents to take measures themselves, ie
exert pressure regarding the upgrading of the security cameras in Kamares.
The provision of a
Police Station in Tala would be a Government decision and it was felt that the
Council, with the support of residents, should write direct to the Ministry of
Justice setting out their
-concerns
-wish to co-operate
with the Police
-need for a higher
presence of Police as residents do not feel safe
-need for more Police
patrols in the area
-disappointment in the
systems and laws and stating that these need to change
Another resident said
that he knew what measures he needed to take to protect his property but wanted
to hear from the Police as to what steps they were taking and what they were
doing. Residents need to feel safe and
not have to worry about what could happen. He felt that everyone’s time had been wasted
today as everyone knew how to organize their lives and properties. He had attended today to hear answers and
these were not being given. It was
explained that the Head of the Burglary Unit had been unable to attend and, as
explained at the start of the meeting, the officers present could only
discuss/answer questions in respect of Neighbourhood Watch.
4 CCTV Cameras
Concerns were raised
as to whether these were working and why the Police did not access the
footage. Cathi explained that Areti and
herself had been at a meeting with the Police Chief in Paphos a few weeks ago. The view of the Police is that the existing
cameras are in need of replacement as the footage captured is poor, not worth
the resources of the Police to access it, and not good enough to be of benefit
in court.
Leptos have been
looking at options for the last 2 years and have identified that CCTV cameras
would be the best way forward in Kamares.
Leptos are reviewing options and obtaining specs and it was thought
intended to discuss the options with KVHA/Kamares residents in due course.
It was felt that
perhaps it was now time for residents to work with Leptos to try and push this
issue forward. One resident suggested
that as Tala Council had imposed a €20 charge for a limited time to facilitate
creation of the cemetery, perhaps something similar could be done again on
Kamares residents so that the cameras could be upgraded.
It was also suggested
that KVHA would be calling an EGM shortly to discuss the new legislation for
Clubs and Societies in Cyprus and the steps the KVHA was taking, and perhaps
the provision of CCTV cameras could be included in the agenda of this EGM, if
this was permitted.
Residents also asked
what representation there was at the meeting from Leptos. The only person from Leptos present was
Ricardo Severini and he advised that he was taking notes to pass to the Leptos
team.
5 What action can a resident take against an
intruder?
Reasonable force only
can be taken against an intruder and the Courts would then decide what is
‘reasonable’ with each case being judged on its own merits.
It is not recommended
that anyone tackle an intruder but that they hand over whatever valuables they
demand.
Could security guards
be armed for example? Only the Police
and Army can carry guns.
6 Statistics
It was felt that
statistics were needed – how many incidents [burglaries] had there been in
Kamares, how many arrests and how many convictions. Statistics over a 5 year period would be
useful. Cathi has already requested
this information.
7 Other security measures
One resident said that
closing a Facebook account could be beneficial – too many people share too much
information regarding new vehicles, jewellery, holidays, absences, etc.
Improvement of street
lighting on Artemis was mentioned as there was possibly only one street light – could more be considered – and
the one that was there often was not functioning.
Cathi advised that in
the event of non-functioning street
lighting, a call should be made to the Electricity Board [1800] – you need a
note of the number on the pole, the street name, your name and phone no.
Cathi also advised that
following the recent meeting with the Police Chief in Paphos it had come to
light that:
- break ins were
happening via unlocked or open doors and/or windows
-inadequate safes were
being used [for example a document safe was being used to hold large amounts of
cash]
-red plated cars were
often being used in incidents and that 3 stolen ones had been found in Kamares
recently
-the content of the
current security cameras was poor and not worth Police resources to access
footage
- main targets are
cash and jewellery
-main target time for
breakins 6pm to 11pm whilst residents were out for a meal
Another resident
pointed out that in the past Cyprus has always been seen as safe. Do Police have adequate training to deal
with modern day crime?
Andros advised that
Police do indeed obtain training but the problems stem back to the Government
providing and funding adequate Police.
Andros advised that the Police are doing their best. Two colleagues were shot recently. As a result, there have been extensive
searches underway, with arrest and search warrants issued, and these activities
are tying up Police resources as they attempt to remove some criminals from the
streets. The Police have to do
everything ‘by the book’. They get into
trouble if excessive action is taken and that action is likely to cost them
their jobs and benefits, plus the cost of legal representation, plus whatever
financial penalty the court imposes, plus whatever compensation the criminal
asks for.
If you have a career
criminal, his lawyer will recommend that he pleads guilty to, say, 30
burglaries. The court will impose a
prison sentence of 9 months; he will serve 5 months and will then be back on
the streets offending again.
Andros stressed to
residents not to keep large amounts of money on the premises. There were two breakins in Kamares last night
[a third was subsequently reported] – one lost over €4,500 cash and the other
around €1,800 cash. Some jewellery was
also stolen from both properties. He
said that he followed the guidance himself in the Neighbourhood Watch leaflets
– do not keep cash or valuables, ie jewellery,
on the property.
8 Residents Letter to Minister of Justice
A lady advised that in
the last 5 years she had been robbed twice.
Despite having an alarm and a safe, in the latest incident they
disconnected the alarm so there was no warning on the mobile phone and the
neighbours did not hear anything. This
resident is inviting people to come along to the Paphos Fort on 30 June to sign
a letter to the Minister of Justice [more information regarding this event, ie
times and exact location will be advised in due course].
9 Zelemenos area of Kamares
Questions were raised
as to which Police Station would deal with an incident in Zelemenos – as
Zelemenos falls under Koili, then Stroumbi would be the Police Station
involved.
Zelemenos residents
are also concerned as to whether they are included in any Police patrols. As far as it is known, the Police patrols
and any arranged by Leptos, cover all of Kamares.
A summary of the Collective Private
Patrol Initiative for Kamares was given by Anna [see posting ‘Letter to Kamares
residents re Collective Private Patrol Initiative’.] It is hoped that the first group of 30
residents will be ready to discuss quotations/tenders received later this week. Anyone in Kamares interested in joining this
initiative should please contact Anna direct.
