Filenews 18 July 2023
A short-term action plan to combat crime will be prepared by the Police, which will reach up to the President of the Republic, while in the medium term a National Strategy against crime will be prepared by the Ministry of Justice and Public Order.
These were decided yesterday at a meeting held at the Ministry of Justice during which the leadership of the Police briefed Minister Anna Koukkides Prokopiou on the crime situation in Cyprus today and the measures taken.
As we are told, it has been reported that the recent crimes committed do not concern the underworld and factions, but mainly personal differences. Also, a large part of the crime is related to differences between people with a migrant orientation, with two of the eight murders that took place this year attributed to criminal groups with a background of drugs.
This year, as the data shows, there is a problem with arson of vehicles and bomb explosions, but the arrest of two people and the confession of one to planting seven bombs or carrying out arson, has changed the picture somewhat with this type of crime.
The Minister explained the action plan of the Police and it was decided to prepare a new, more detailed one that will include various actions, which will be delivered to the President of the Republic.
This plan will record the needs and actions mainly for crime prevention, with surveillance of suspicious persons, collection of information and patrols. At the same time, a National Strategy against crime will be prepared, which will include actions on many fronts, not only on the part of the Police, but also in schools, with organized groups, etc.
In the meeting, which was attended not only by the leadership of the Police but also by the police directors of all districts and the commanders of units and departments, the issue of the traffic problem was discussed and it was mentioned that this year there is a decrease in fatal road collisions, but this changes at any time, which is why the need to continue prevention measures with checks of drivers throughout the road network was stressed.
According to an announcement by the Police, the immediate action plan it will prepare in relation to tackling crime will be submitted in the next few days to the President of the Republic of Cyprus, through the Minister of Public Works.
