Filenews 25 August 2021 - by Michalis Hadjivasilis
The illegal use of weapons in recent days was not enough, the theft of a G3 military rifle came to cause great concern to the Police.
The gun was stolen from a house in Limassol during a burglary from which 1,800 euros were stolen. The G3 belongs to a reservist who had it in his parents' house, but fortunately he had removed the shutter and so it is actually useless in the hands of the outlaws.
Possession of weapons is a problem that afflicts the Police due to the illegal use of weapons and the fact that there is not sufficient control both on the license to possess a shotgun and on the reservists. In the last six years there have been 14 murders using weapons, which frightens the investigating authorities.
As the Assistant Chief of Police Operations, Dimitris Demetriou, told "F", the issue of weaponry in the hands of reservists will be the subject of a meeting with the National Guard. It is a sensitive issue, however, there should be some kind of control. On the subject, AKEL MP Irene Charalambidou intends to submit a law proposal obliging those who possess weapons to go through a psychological examination.
According to reports, there are more than 80,000 shotguns in hunters' hands, and their owners never go through a medical examination. When someone receives permission from the Police for possession of a weapon, he may have had a white register, however, over time it is possible that his psychological state will change or have developed aggressive behaviour, without there being a control mechanism to withdraw this license.
The Police intend to contact other countries in order to be informed about the current situation with the possession of shotguns and other weapons, while the issue is expected to be discussed in Parliament due to the recent incidents.
