Filenews 15 July 2023
The situation with crime in Cyprus and the traffic problem will be put under the microscope of a meeting convened in her office by the Minister of Justice next Monday.
This year, crime shows an increase of 4.3%, with one murder recorded every month, while cases of fraud, drugs, burglary and theft as well as arson and bombs are on the increase.
Minister Anna Koukkidi Prokopiou asked for a presentation of the situation with crime as it appears in recent years and for the Police's action plan to be discussed. This year appears to be a difficult year for law enforcement, with eight murders and eight assassinations attempted in six months. Some of them are attributed to organized crime and some to personal differences.
In one case we had two victims who died from stab wounds, in the case of Angelos Pericleous, who disappeared on April 20, while the police have sent three people to trial, he has not been found dead or alive. Also, in the case of the murder of a 35-year-old Ukrainian woman in Limassol, the 25-year-old Turkish Erkan Alkan is wanted, while for the gangster murder of Chris Charilaou on June 10 in Parekklisia, no one has been arrested so far.
Where the police seem to have been hurting over time, and this year the problem has become worse, is in arson and bomb explosions. Especially the incendiary acts with the burning of vehicles this year have gone too far, which is why the Police will present to the Minister a plan with increased action measures to halt the increasing trend and at the same time, to intensify efforts to solve these cases.
It is noted that while the detection rate of serious crime in general stands at about 75%, one of the highest in Europe, this percentage for arson cases and attempted destruction with explosives, is very low and barely reaches 26% for arson and 5.3% for bombings. The recent investigation of seven cases of bombings in Limassol with the arrest of one person, increased the morale of the police officers since it seemed that when they methodically and meticulously investigate information and evidence, then they bear fruit.
What does not help the investigating authorities are the victims themselves, who do not cooperate with the police, since when asked if they had differences with anyone, they answer negatively, fearing reprisals if they speak out.
Police are studying concrete measures to crack down on these types of crimes by increasing patrols, analyzing each case to see if it is linked to others, motives and tracking criminal elements.
The situation with the traffic problem is clearly better, since as "F" wrote, this year there is a huge reduction in deaths on the roads by 50%, something that has never been observed until today.
If the same situation continues until the end of the year, then our country will record the highest decrease in Europe, but it does not raise complacency, since accidents occur daily on the roads and several people are seriously or critically injured. The significant decrease that appears this year is largely attributed to the advent of traffic cameras but also to a combination of other measures, mainly related to the intensification of driver checks.
