Pafos Live 30 January 2024
A total of 2,103 checks of persons and 2,091 checks of vehicles were carried out during the past three days by the Police, which was active with coordinated operations throughout Cyprus, for the prevention of crime and delinquency phenomena, as well as for the prevention of serious and fatal road collisions.
From the evening of Friday, January 26, until Monday morning, during targeted checks, as well as checks made during crime prevention patrols, a number of persons, premises and vehicles were checked. At the same time, during traffic police checks across Cyprus, a total of 1,052 traffic violations were detected and reported, while 53 vehicles were impounded in the context of traffic police checks.
In the context of tackling serious and organized crime, as well as in the context of preventing delinquency and nuisance, a total of 310 premises were inspected during the three-day period. For various violations related to the operation of the premises, such as nuisance from music broadcasting and the sale of alcoholic beverages, the managers of 40 premises were reported.
During traffic police checks that took place over the three days, 464 drivers were reported for speed limit violations, 32 drivers and vehicle passengers were reported for non-seat belt use, while 41 vehicle drivers were reported for driving with non-free hands – use of a mobile phone or other object while driving.
Another 54 vehicle drivers tested positive for driving under the influence of alcohol and were reported, while nine (9) drivers tested positive in a preliminary test for driving under the influence of drugs, with tests continuing, pending laboratory results of narcotics.
There were also 37 complaints of persons who were found driving vehicles for which there was no valid certificate of suitability – MOT, while six (6) persons were found to be driving vehicles without holding a driving license and without being covered by an insurance certificate.
It is also worth mentioning the complaints made for 88 violations of traffic signs and lights, as well as for 84 violations of parking vehicles, including 28 violations of parking vehicles in areas for disabled people.
The Police continue actions to prevent crime and road collisions, with daily checks and coordinated operations.
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Filenews
The serious injury of a 44-year-old man resulted in a traffic collision that occurred on Monday night in Paphos, who is hospitalized with fractures at Paphos General Hospital, but is also under arrest after further examinations by the Police found that he is in Cyprus illegally.
According to Paphos Assistant Police Director of Operations, Michalis Nicolaou, at 23:30 on Monday night, a car driven by a 53-year-old permanent resident of Pegeia, collided head-on with the car driven by the 44-year-old, under circumstances that are being investigated.
He said that the two passengers were transported by ambulance to Paphos General Hospital where after receiving medical treatment it was found that the 53-year-old had not suffered serious injuries, but was detained for observation.
He added that the 44-year-old had a CT scan and was found to have fractures in various parts of his body. Due to his condition, he was detained for hospitalization in the Intensive Care Unit of Paphos General Hospital.
According to Mr. Nicolaou, further examinations revealed that the 44-year-old has been staying illegally in the territory of the Republic since October 7, 2022 as his application for asylum was rejected and therefore at 01:30, in the morning of Tuesday, the 44-year-old was arrested for a flagrant offense of illegal stay in the territory of the Republic.
The cause of the crash is being investigated.
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A coordinated operation was carried out yesterday morning by members of the Aliens and Immigration Service, in cooperation with officers of the Inspection Service of the Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance, to combat illegal employment, illegal employment and illegal stay.
During the operation, which took place at a construction site in Nicosia, 4 persons were arrested and detained for the offences of illegal stay and employment as well as one person for the offence of illegal employment.
The officers of the Inspection Service of the Ministry of Labor issued a notice for an out-of-court arrangement for undeclared work to three employers.
The actions of the Police in cooperation with other State Services to combat the phenomenon of undeclared work continue.
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The Pancyprian Medical Association and the way it acts in cases where doctors are convicted by the Courts but their license to practice medicine remains valid, MPs and doctors showed in the morning, during the meeting of the parliamentary committee on Human Rights.
The occasion for the discussion was the case of a doctor who was twice convicted by a Court for indecent assault against his patients but was never deprived of his license to practice by the PIS.
The president of the Committee, Irene Charalambidou, who initially raised the issue for discussion, asked for the intervention of the state, and addressing the Minister of Health, who participated in the meeting, said that "it is time for the Ministry to intervene and change the way the PIS acts in such cases".
"Is a doctor convicted by a court and should the PIS do after its own investigation? And patient safety is not counted? This doctor was convicted in the past and was not stripped of his license and now he is being sentenced a second time," Charalambidou said.
MP Alexandra Attalidou expressed surprise that "on the day that the conviction of the doctor, who had previously been convicted of indecent assault against his patients, was made public, I heard a representative of the PIS say that at this time, and after the conviction, the medical association will proceed with its own investigation. That is, while we have a conviction from a court, we must wait for the PIS to complete its own investigation."
The members of the committee demanded the revocation of the licence to practice the profession of this doctor and initially turned their fire on the Health Insurance Organisation since the doctor in question offers his services within the General Health System.
The HIO spokesperson, however, pointed out that the organisation is not in a position to withdraw the licence to practice the profession from any doctor. The HIO can only expel the doctor from the GHS, which of course does not prohibit him from practicing medicine outside the system.
The president of the Cyprus Association of Private Doctors, Haris Armeftis, was quite strong in his positions, "Logic says that after the Court's decision, the PIS should deprive this doctor of his license to practice", said Mr. Armeftis and added that "it is also a requirement for us doctors to do this and unfortunately this practice is followed in other cases as well, thus affecting an entire professional sector".
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New facts are being created in the trial for the gang rape of a 20-year-old British woman in Ayia Napa, for which five young men from Israel are accused.
The Famagusta Permanent Assize Court in an interim decision on Monday, in the context of a trial in trial, rejected the DNA testimony taken from two of the five defendants, who were allegedly present in the room at the time of the incident.
The court granted the request of their lawyer, Paris Loizos, who raised an objection during the main examination when a police sergeant attempted to testify the buccal swabs taken from Defendants 4 and 5.
The objection was that the buccal swabs in question were taken without prior consent from the Defendants and therefore there was a violation of the provisions of the law.
In announcing its decision, the Assize Court stated that the Prosecution had failed to prove that the taking of the buccal swabs of Defendants 4 and 5 was lawful and rejected the submission of the disputed evidence.
