CRIME ROUND UP

 Pafos Live 27 May 2024

Members of the Paphos OPE, while on a motorized patrol at dawn today, located and stopped for inspection in an area of Paphos, a car that did not have registration plates on the front.

Subsequent examinations revealed that the driver of the vehicle was a 43-year-old man.  A subsequent search of the car found a knife, as well as various burglary tools, resulting in the 43-year-old being arrested for the offences of stabbing and illegal possession of burglary tools.

The 43-year-old was given a preliminary narcotest test with a positive result, while further tests revealed that he was driving the vehicle in question, which was not registered, with a deprived driver's license and without a safety certificate.

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The Police continued yesterday the actions to identify third-country nationals residing illegally in Cyprus, with a new coordinated nationwide police control operation.

During the control operation, the members of the Police proceeded to the arrest of 26 persons of various nationalities, who as it has been established, remain illegally in the territory of the Republic of Cyprus, while another person was arrested for the offence of illegal employment and another person was arrested for offences of assault against a police officer.

In the context of the operation carried out in the Famagusta district specifically, during a check in a catering establishment, two persons, third-country nationals, were detected working illegally without permission from the competent Authority and were arrested for the offence of illegal employment.

One of them, as found by the examinations that took place, is illegally in the Republic and was arrested for the offense of illegal stay in the territory of the Republic. A case of illegal employment is being investigated against their employer.

A case of assault on a police officer, which occurred during a police check carried out in Larnaca, also as part of the operation, is being investigated by the Central Police Station of Larnaka.

According to the evidence under investigation, during a police check, a 28-year-old man caused concern by shouting at members of the Police. The 28-year-old attacked the officers, pushing them, causing one of the officers to fall to the ground. In an attempt by police members to restrain him, the 28-year-old kicked a police officer and bit him on the arm.  The members of the Police proceeded to the arrest of the 28-year-old, who, as it was later established, from the verification of his data, is legally in the Republic, with a temporary residence permit, as an employee.

Yesterday's operation began at 5.30 in the morning and ended around 1.00 in the afternoon, with the Police, in cooperation with other competent authorities, already proceeding with the procedures for the immediate repatriation of persons arrested for illegal stay in the Republic.  The efforts of the Police to identify and repatriate persons who remain illegally on the territory of the Republic of Cyprus continue daily.

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Two persons, aged 24 and 18, have been arrested by the Police to facilitate investigations into an ongoing robbery case committed last night in Larnaca.

The case was reported to the police by a 31-year-old man, according to whom at around 11.30pm. yesterday, while departing on his bike from the apartment building where he lives in Larnaca, two unknown persons approached him and asked him for money.

The complainant allegedly told them he had no money, as a result of which the two attacked him, punched him in the face and took away his mobile phone. In an attempt by the 31-year-old to retrieve his phone, one of the two attackers allegedly retrieved a knife and threatened him, causing the two to escape.  After reporting to the police, the 31-year-old visited Larnaka General Hospital, where he was given first aid after suffering facial injuries.

Upon his return to his apartment, the 31-year-old allegedly spotted the two suspects on a Larnaka street and informed the police. Members of the Police immediately went to the scene, where they located the two suspects and stopped them for checking. They were found to be 24-year-old and 18-year-old.  After being informed by the police of the reasons for their arrest, the 18-year-old allegedly attacked the members of the Police, in order to avoid the search. However, he was stopped and arrested for the offence of assaulting a police officer and resisting lawful arrest.

Subsequently, in a search carried out on the 18-year-old's bag, the complainant's phone was located, which was received as evidence.

Judicial arrest warrants were obtained against the 24-year-old and the 18-year-old, under which they were arrested and detained to facilitate interrogations

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A 53-year-old man was arrested yesterday by members of the Limassol Police after finding stolen property in his possession. A total of five theft cases are being investigated against the 53-year-old.

The 53-year-old suspect was identified by members of the Germasogeia Police Station and the Cycling Police, following a theft complaint filed around 3.30pm on Sunday by two 16-year-old youths.

According to the complaint of the two 16-year-olds, around 1:00 a.m. yesterday, two of their mobile phones and a gold chain with a cross were stolen, located at a point on the beach of Dasoudi area, in Germasogeia. The two young men, using an electronic application, located the location of one of their mobile phones, which appeared to be located in a specific area of Germasogeia and during their complaint to the Germasogeia Police Station, they informed the members of the Police Station.

After police officers located the 53-year-old suspect in the area where the stolen mobile phone was located, they searched him, finding in his possession the two mobile phones and the chain and cross of the two 16-year-olds.

In his possession, the members of the Police found three more mobile phones and an electronic wristwatch, which as it was later found, had been stolen, as well as another mobile phone, for which tests are being carried out to determine if it is also the product of theft.  The 53-year-old suspect was arrested by members of the police and taken into custody for police examinations. The exams continue at the ICF of Limassol and the Germasogeia Police Station.

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Filenews

According to the Police, shortly before 7 am, a 43-year-old man reported that a little earlier, around 06:00 while at his residence in Kokkinotrimithia, two persons, a 27-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman, illegally entered his residence, after initially breaching an entrance of the house and attacking him with an object.

Police said: "He believes it was a knife. The 43-year-old suffered some minor injuries, abrasions."

Members of the Police, as part of the examinations, located in the area the two suspects, who were also injured.  According to police, they were taken by ambulance to Nicosia General Hospital, where they were found to have injuries caused by a sharp object.

Two are out of danger but are being treated for treatment. The 43-year-old man was also tested at Nicosia General Hospital and discharged.

All three of them were forensically examined to investigate the assault cases they reported.

According to police, the 43-year-old was arrested with a court warrant for the purpose of investigating the complaint of the two, the 27-year-old and the 23-year-old. Police are also investigating the 43-year-old's own complaint about an assault case.

The local Kokkinotrimithia station is investigating the case.

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A 49-year-old mathematics teacher working at a private school in a suburb of Nicosia was detained for 8 days for two separate cases of sexual harassment of minors. The complainants are two underage students aged 16 and 13.

The 16-year-old's complaint was made on May 22. The minor went to the police station accompanied by her mother and reported that the 49-year-old, during the school, stroked her on the inside of her thigh, while touching her chest. According to the complaint, the incident took place in a room of the private institute and no person other than the teacher and the student is present.

It is worth noting that the suspect, two days earlier and specifically on May 20, was arrested after a court warrant was issued for similar offenses with a 13-year-old complainant.

The suspect's detention order expires tomorrow, May 28, 2024.

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A total of 1,231 complaints for various traffic offenses resulted from traffic police checks carried out on motorways and secondary roads all over Cyprus, by members of the Special Motorcycle Squad (E.O.M.O.), the Road Accident Prevention Squads (O.P.O.D.) Headquarters and Avdimou and members of the Traffic Police Department, the district Police Directorates.

The Pancyprian traffic police checks were carried out between Friday and Sunday 24-26/5/2024, in the context of the prevention of road collisions and the prevention and suppression of nuisance offences by cars and motorcycles and juvenile delinquency.

The majority of complaints received concerned offences which have been proven to be the main causes of serious and fatal road collisions.

Of these, 456 complaints concerning exceeding the speed limit stand out. There are also 128 complaints concerning vehicles without a valid registration.  In addition, there were 78 complaints for not wearing seat belts, 67 complaints for driving with non-free hands (use of mobile phone) and 59 for traffic sign violations.

As regards driving offences without a driver's licence, without a safety certificate and without a certificate of fitness, a total of 74 complaints were made.

In addition, members of the Police made 16 complaints for driving a stationary vehicle, 52 complaints for parking on a sidewalk or pedestrian street, 56 complaints for driving under the influence of alcohol, while another 245 complaints were made for various other traffic offences.

Targeted traffic checks continue daily, around the clock, throughout the road network all over Cyprus. The sole objective is to establish proper road awareness by all road users and to prevent fatal and serious road collisions.