Filenews 3 June 2022 - by Michalis Hadjivasilis
A special team is being set up as of today at the Nicosia Police Directorate and will join the ICF, in order to identify missing persons in a short period of time, with modern tactics and specialization. The choice of Nicosia for the establishment of the Group is not accidental since most cases of missing persons are recorded in the capital, due to the structure of immigrants in Pournara, but also the operation of many shelters for minors. As stated in the "F" the Chief of Police Stelios Papatheodorou, the establishment of the Investigation Team of Cases of Missing Persons (ODYEP) was considered appropriate so that its members acquire specialization in the matter and after being properly trained to take all the necessary actions to identify someone who was reported as a missing person. After the Metaxas case, a protocol of actions has been prepared, on the basis of which those who deal with the missing persons should follow. "It is a series of actions to take all the necessary steps to identify someone who is missing. The Contact Group should analyse where someone left, the reasons, whether they have done it before and whether this is often the case to make recommendations", the Chief stressed.
According to the data, from 1990 until today there are 103 missing persons on the list of missing persons. For some of them it is considered that a criminal act is hidden behind it, but the Police, in the absence of other evidence or corpse, continue for 30 years to consider them as missing.
As far as people leaving Pournara are concerned, the Police are essentially dealing only with minor children and unaccompanied children. Due to the conditions in the migrant camp, some children leave it with an unknown destination, so efforts are being made to locate them in various directions. There are currently 13 unaccompanied children missing and despite efforts to locate them, they remain missing.
The disappearance of minors from the residences of the Social Welfare Services remains a regular phenomenon and in some cases these are frequent disappearances of the same people. The instructions now of the Chief are as there are frequent contacts with these residences, while in any case of a missing person, the members of the ICF will be activated. Today it is expected that the Police Director of Nicosia, Yiannakis Georgiou, will announce the transfers of the police officers who will form the Team.
