Pafos Press 22 January 2024
In the last three days, a large-scale operation was carried out in Paphos led by the Assistant Police Directors of Operations and Administration, in the context of which more than 400 vehicles were stopped, according to the Assistant Police Director of Operations of Paphos, Michalis Nikolaou.
In his statements to KYPE, Mr. Nikolaou stated that their goal is to prevent crime and traffic collisions.
He continued, three persons were found in possession of narcotic substances, while a fourth person was found to have an arrest warrant pending against him from a court and was arrested.
Also within the framework of crime prevention on Sunday morning from 05:20 to 07:00 members of the Paphos Police Department, by virtue of court warrants, searched the residences of five persons suspected, based on information, of burglaries and thefts and drug possession substances.
In one of these cases, a person was found to be in possession of narcotics. This was charged in writing and released to be summoned later.
These campaigns, Mr. Nikolaou told KYPE, will be intensified, with the aim of enforcing order and strengthening citizens' sense of security.
In the meantime, the Police are continuing their investigations to identify the perpetrators of the arson attack on the vehicle of a Legal Service officer in Paphos, focusing on what may have been recorded by closed circuit surveillance in the neighbouring area.
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The Police in Paphos arrested two people aged 28 and 27 yesterday Sunday, as part of checks after the end of the football match between Karmiotissa and Nea Salamina, in order to facilitate investigations into an investigated case of illegal possession of a controlled class B drug and carrying a knife.
According to the Assistant Police Director of Paphos Operations, Michalis Nikolaou, yesterday Sunday at around 21:10 immediately after the end of the football match at the Stelios Kyriakides Stadium in Paphos, members of the Paphos Crime Prevention Squad went near the stadium to check a specific car for which there was information that his passengers were in possession of illegal items.
During the check, it was found that the 28-year-old driver from Limassol was in possession of the prohibited type knife 8 cm long, while the 27-year-old passenger was in possession of a quantity of cannabis weighing 0.8 grams as well as an 11 cm hand-made cigarette with a quantity of manufactured of tobacco mixed with traces of cannabis.
The two persons were arrested. The person in possession of drugs was charged in writing and released. When questioned, he admitted that he possessed them for his own use. The 28-year-old driver is in custody in connection with the knife crime.
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On January 20, the Paphos District Court issued a three-day detention order against a 26-year-old man, to facilitate investigations into an investigated forgery case.
According to the Assistant Police Director of Paphos Operations Michalis Nikolaou on 19.1.24 at 19:20 at the departures area of Paphos airport a man bound for Cologne presented himself presenting a Belgian passport and a Belgian identity card.
During the passport control, suspicions of forged documents were raised.
When interrogated, the specific person confessed that the information mentioned in the documents was not true.
In particular, he admitted that he is a 26 year old political asylum seeker and that he possessed forged Belgian documents. The 26-year-old was arrested and a three-day detention order was obtained against him.
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Miraculously we did not mourn victims in the morning when during the school route of students a vehicle driven by a young man of African origin collided with the school bus on the main road of Kissonerga, towards the center of the community.
At the time of the collision, the bus was full of students from Pegeia and Kissonerga who were going to their schools.
According to our information, the driver of the vehicle had neither a license nor insurance and was not the registered owner of the vehicle either.
Literally miraculously we did not suffer any casualties since the collision, at the point of the driver's seat, could have seriously injured the driver or the students on board the bus.
Two National Guardsmen were attacked on Sunday night in Nicosia.
According to the Police, the incident occurred at 7:30 a.m. when the two National Guardsmen were returning to their unit.
As they reported, they were attacked by 15 persons as a result of which it was deemed necessary to transport them to the Nicosia Hospital.
One national guard has external injuries and was discharged from the hospital, while the other suffered a fractured lower jaw and remained hospitalized.
The two injured persons declared ignorance about the reasons for the attack. The Police are continuing their investigations.
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Filenews
Members of the Limassol Police handcuffed three persons in the morning after an explosive device was found in a vehicle they were travelling in.
According to the first information from the Police, around 10:00 in the morning, the members of the Cycling Club intercepted a vehicle that was moving on Anexartisias Street. Examinations revealed that one of the three persons was wanted for burglary and theft cases. Two other persons were also in the vehicle.
A search of the car found an improvised explosive device, but it did not contain gunpowder.
The three persons were handcuffed and taken to the Limassol Police Headquarters. Also, at this time, searches are being carried out on the vehicle, which was also transferred to the Police Authority.
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Police arrested a 30-year-old resident of Nicosia last night to facilitate investigations into an ongoing case of illegal possession of drugs for the purpose of supplying to another person.
Specifically, around 10pm yesterday, members of the Police stopped a car, driven by the 30-year-old, on a road in the Nicosia district. During the search that followed, six nylon packages with white powder, gross weight 50 grams, a quantity of cannabis, a gross weight of 20 grams, a precision scale and the amount of €1100 were found and seized in the possession of the 30-year-old.
The 30-year-old was arrested for a flagrant offence and taken into custody to facilitate interrogations.
The YKAN (Nicosia District Unit) is investigating the case.
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Authorities were alerted last night following reports of shootings in the area of Pallouriotissa in Nicosia.
According to the police, after obtaining testimonies, it appears that around 22:00, about 10 people were heading to the church in the area when two shots were heard.
Members of the Police went to the scene, where after the first examinations were found damage to a vehicle that was parked in the area. No one was injured in the shooting.
At first light of day, the scene was cordoned off and investigations began to identify the perpetrators.
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Following an appeal registered by the Attorney General of the Republic, the acquittal of a Court of First Instance against a person who had been arrested for a case of possession and supply of drugs was overturned.
The Court of Appeal, setting aside the Court's first instance judgment and accepting the position of the Attorney General of the Republic that, on the basis of the findings of the Court of First Instance, the Court should have convicted and not acquitted the accused, stated that the Court of First Instance erred in acquitting the defendant in the offences of which he was charged.
For this reason, as noted in the decision of the Court of Appeal, the first instance judgment is set aside and replaced with a judgment of conviction for the defendant as he is found guilty of the charges he faced. The defendant was subsequently given an immediate sentence of 7 months in prison, with the Court of Appeal noting the seriousness of the offences and the importance of dissuasive sentences. Typical is the report of the Court of Appeal:
"Undoubtedly, the legislator's concern about the spread and dispersion of drugs is shared by domestic courts of all levels, which, within the framework of their own competences, participate in the effort to eradicate them. The Supreme Court has had occasion, on numerous occasions in recent years, to stress the urgent need for severe and dissuasive penalties in efforts to combat the scourge of drugs."
On behalf of the Attorney General of the Republic, the case was handled by Mrs. Popi Pitsillou, Public Prosecutor A'.
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A member of the Police was attacked at the barricade of Ledra Palace, and ended up in hospital.
According to the police, shortly before 20:00, a 39-year-old man caused concern at the barricade of Ledra Palace and as a result attacked a police officer.
The two were taken to Nicosia General Hospital, where the police officer had abrasions on his face and after being given first aid, he was discharged.
The 39-year-old tested positive on a breathalyzer test and after receiving first aid was arrested for flagrant offences.
