Filenews 19 August 2023
Deputy Minister of Tourism Kostas Koumis appears positive in the examination of the request recently reintroduced by the STEK for tourist police, admitting at the same time that there are tourist areas that need stronger policing in the summer.
Specifically, asked by "F" whether he shares the view of the Council of State that there is a need for a special Tourist Police Corps, Koumis said that he shares "the view that some tourist areas need stronger policing, especially during the summer months".
Now, he added, "what will be this body that will be called upon to provide law and order services is another matter. We'll have to see what the most functional way is."
As he explained, there are many policing needs in tourist areas and perhaps a police force specialized in the tourism industry will be the solution.
In this context, he said, the ACTE proposal that has been discussed in the past "may be worth looking at again".
It is worth noting that a relevant proposal for the creation of a tourist police was also elaborated by the former Deputy Minister of Tourism Savvas Perdios almost after taking office in 2019.
Contacts were also made with the Police on the issue, but the proposal did not proceed. The position of the newly established Deputy Ministry of Tourism at the time was that "the creation of a tourist police will be a fundamental factor in addressing various or even all issues related to the safety, health and quality of the product offered to domestic and foreign visitors to Cyprus" that could, among others, address various issues. such as smoking indoors, the problem of noise pollution, etc.
Last summer, he returned to the issue, saying at an event in Ayia Napa that due to the pandemic, the idea of tourist police, which was also a request of this municipality, did not go ahead, further claiming that tourist police do not necessarily mean that they have to police, "but perhaps one of their roles could be to educate and encourage visitors respect the city, the region and the environment where they holiday."
Necessity, says ACTE
Proposals for the creation of a tourist police have been made many times in the past by MPs, while the issue has recently been brought back into the news by the ACTE on the occasion of the latest accidents involving four-wheeled motorcycles.
In a statement, the Association reminded that for many years the Council of State has been stressing the need for the creation of a special Tourist Police Corps, with broad responsibilities, including the fight against illegalities, the control of the legality of tourism businesses, the fight against the phenomenon of noise pollution, which especially during the summer season is even more intense and generally better policing for everyone's safety.
In fact, the Council of State asked for the Deputy Ministry of Tourism to be involved again in the whole issue, since it is primarily an issue that concerns the country's tourism product.
According to the Association, it is its constant request to take immediate and drastic measures in front of any phenomenon that has negative consequences, not only for our tourist product but also for the life and safety of tourists and locals, and adds: "Therefore, we consider the creation of a special Tourist Police Corps, a timeless position of the ACTE, to be a one-way street. a proposal that has been repeatedly forwarded to all competent Ministers and bodies without unfortunately being heard."
In fact, the Association includes the creation of a special Tourist Police Corps in the context of efforts to upgrade the tourist product.
"As Cyprus, we must make a greater effort to upgrade the quality of our tourism product, something that we will not achieve as long as we continue to sweep timeless problems under the carpet and let them swell dangerously, as in the case of four-wheeled motorcycles, noise pollution, inadequate infrastructure, poor workmanship and many others," he says.
