Cyprus Police
From July 25, the Schengen Information System is put into operation From July 25, 2023, the Schengen Information System (SIS) begins its operation in Cyprus , upgrading cross-border security and, in general, policing in our country. Now the huge volumes of data of the system will be accessible by the Cyprus Police, whose members will be able to consult it in their daily checks, further strengthening the effort to maintain security and fight crime. In general, the SIS is a huge information exchange system, which has been used for almost 30 years in the European countries of the Schengen zone. This system is considered to have contributed and contributes significantly to maintaining security in Europe and guarantees freedom, security and justice in the countries of the Schengen zone.
All this because the SIS practically supports the operational cooperation and the exchange of information between the national police, border, immigration, customs and judicial authorities of the EU and the Schengen countries. The main purpose of SIS is to exchange information and data between contracting countries, in real time, while ensuring that the authorities have more complete and reliable information at their disposal. The system is a common database in which the authorities of each contracting state, such as the Police and border guards, enter information about persons or objects, related to the commission or investigation of crimes or offences. Subsequently, the authorities of the other contracting countries can consult this data, during border, police or other legal controls, anywhere within the EU and the Schengen area. The operation of the SIS is based on European Union regulations and is regulated by Executive Decisions of the European Commission, which is responsible for the supervision and evaluation of the entire system. The national SIRENE (Supplementary Information Request at the National Entries) departments are responsible for exchanging information and coordinating activities related to SIS entries. Such departments exist in every country that has access to SIS data, while SIRENE has also been set up in the European police organization EUROPOL. Its use, in the Schengen countries, began in 1995 and has undergone two upgrades since then. The first, in 2013 and the second just last March (2023). After these upgrades, SIS now has the ability to add fingerprints, photos and DNA files, while its functions have also been optimized. With these capabilities, SIS has further strengthened Europe's authorities in protecting vulnerable persons, as authorities can register information and additional data (eg DNA files) about missing persons in order to locate them. At the same time, it is also possible to introduce preventive measures, registrations, to protect certain categories of vulnerable persons, such as children who are at risk of abduction or who are potential victims of terrorism, human trafficking, gender-based violence or armed conflict. Anti-terrorist and anti-crime action by Europe's authorities is also strengthened, through the exchange of information about persons and objects involved in activities related to terrorism or serious crime. In this area, from March 2021, the contracting countries exchange with EUROPOL search "matches" regarding SIS entries related to terrorist crimes. By using the SIS, the effort to deal with illegal immigration of third-country nationals to Europe is strengthened. Through the system countries enter return decisions as well as entries for the purpose of refusal of entry or residence, for people found to be residing illegally in the EU and subject to entry bans. SIS does not contain personal data on all European citizens or residents. Entries in the system include only information about persons or objects, related to various crimes. The use of personal data in the SIS, in relation to what personal data can be stored and for what purposes, is regulated by EU law. It also regulates how long the data can be stored in the system and when these should be deleted. Respecting the personal rights of citizens, the regulation governing the operation of the system allows any person, who suspects that their personal data is being unlawfully processed by the SIS, to request access to the data, as well as to request its deletion. The Schengen area The Schengen zone is perhaps the greatest achievement and tangible example of a united Europe. It has abolished border controls, allowing the free movement of millions of people between the European countries belonging to this zone. The operation of the Schengen zone began in 1995, including only five European countries. Since then the area of free movement has been constantly expanding. Currently, 23 of the 27 EU countries are part of the Schengen zone, while four other non-EU countries participate: Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. EU member states such as Cyprus, Romania, Bulgaria and Ireland are in the process of joining the zone. The abolition of border controls, in the Schengen area, enables more than 400 million people to travel freely between countries. A fact that every day proves to be beneficial for sectors such as tourism and culture, as well as for the economic sector. But at the same time, despite the abolition of controls, the operation of the Schengen area has improved security in the EU. To compensate for the absence of controls at the borders of the countries of the zone, strict rules of cooperation have been established between the law enforcement authorities of these countries, with regard to controls at the external borders of the zone. Through this cooperation, improved communication systems between national police forces (such as the SIS) have been developed, allowing direct exchange of information. At the same time, the pursuit of criminals across national borders, the cross-border surveillance of suspects and the joint operational action of the authorities have become possible. All this is an advantage in the fight against terrorism and serious organized crime, including human trafficking and illegal immigration.