Filenews 20 December 2023
The Minister of Justice will go to the Council of Ministers today with a package of measures under pressure to combat violence in stadiums, implementing a decision taken last March, after the sad incidents in the semi-final of the basketball cup APOLLON – ANORTHOSIS at the "Tassos Papadopoulos – Eleftheria" Stadium.
The measures were processed by the Legal Service and today Minister Anna Koukkides-Prokopiou will present them before the Cabinet to obtain approval and then submit them to Parliament. The introduction of breathalyzer and narcotest outside stadiums for fans intending to attend a sporting event stands out among the measures. The measures had been announced after a meeting at the Presidential Palace and after the events at "Eleftheria" where hooligans set fire to the offices of the bus station in Makario, smashed chairs in the stadium and attacked members of the Police.
The breathalyzer and narcotest currently apply only to drivers and its extension to citizens needs to be amended for a specific purpose. As has been decided, it will be targeted at persons who arouse suspicion in trained police officers, as is the case with drivers, where the vast majority of those tested for either alcohol or drugs test positive. It is expected that there will be a big debate in Parliament on the issue so that this measure is not abused by the Police. It is also expected that breathalyzer and narcotests will be performed outside and near sports venues and not elsewhere.
In case the sample is positive during the test, then the fan will be prevented from entering the stadium while pending the final results from the State Chemical Laboratory, he will be released.
The remaining measures will concern:
– Change of the relevant legislation to increase the penalty of exclusion of offending fans from sports venues and under certain conditions, up to ten years.
– Amendment of the relevant legislation, in order to give the power to the Police, its recommendation to the home Federation to prohibit the movement of fans, to become binding. In case of new incidents, the Police will be able to recommend the holding of matches behind closed doors, with the last measure being the prohibition of matches. This change in legislation will be made after the Legal Service has advised that there is no conflict with other legislation.
– Implementation of a strict timetable for the installation of closed circuit surveillance systems at all stages where currently the necessary legal specifications are not met. – – Change of legislation so that closed circuit surveillance systems are installed in all stadiums where first division matches are held, regardless of capacity, within specific timetables to be determined in consultation with all stakeholders. The aim is to implement the fan card measure more effectively.
Also, the package refers to the intensification of controls and surveillance of the movements of organized fans by the Police, as well as a reassessment of the state's financial or other assistance to clubs in case fans of a team systematically commit incidents.
Already, after the incidents of last March, the Police are implementing more intensive body searches of fans to identify and confiscate illegal and dangerous objects. Also, two permanent anti-riot units have been established and operate in the Mechanized Immediate Action Unit (MMAD), with the exclusive duties of policing sports competitions or other high-risk events.
