Filenews 18 March 2026
The presence and action of the Police last night was intense, throughout Cyprus, with organized patrols in key points of urban areas, with the aim of preventing serious criminal acts, ensuring public order and increasing the sense of security of the public.
The result of the preventive policing operations was the arrest of six persons for various offenses, such as driving under the influence of alcohol, violating the speed limit, assault causing actual bodily harm and others.
As part of these operations, during the night, 529 vehicles were stopped for inspection and a total of 789 drivers and passengers were checked. At the same time, 28 inspections of premises were carried out, during which 1 complaint emerged, with the aim of dealing with phenomena of delinquency.
During traffic checks carried out, 291 complaints were made, concerning various traffic violations. Of these, 109 complaints from drivers for violating the speed limit stand out. A driver was found driving at a speed of 160 kph instead of 50. He was arrested and this morning he is expected to be brought before the Nicosia District Court. A driver was found positive in a preliminary test for driving under the influence of drugs. There were also 104 tests for drunk driving, during which one driver tested positive. As part of the police investigations, 11 vehicles were detained.
Coordinated policing operations, for the prevention and suppression of crime, continue daily, with an enhanced police presence, targeted controls and immediate operational action, in order to protect citizens and ensure public order.
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Yesterday at noon in Nicosia, a 29-year-old man was arrested after a chase with warning shots, when he attacked police officers who stopped him for a check, while quantities of cocaine and cannabis, five mobile phones and €4.770 were found in his possession.
Specifically, yesterday around 12:20 noon, while members of the Traffic Headquarters were conducting an inspection in the province of Nicosia, they stopped a vehicle driven by a 29-year-old man for a check.
The driver was asked to take a drug test, but he refused. In a subsequent search of the glove compartment of the passenger of their vehicle, a bag containing about two grams of cannabis was found.
In the attempt of the members of the Traffic Police to arrest the 29-year-old for the self-inflicted crime of illegal possession of drugs, he pushed the two members of the Traffic Police and started running in order to avoid his arrest.
A chase of the 29-year-old followed, during which warning shots were fired in the air. It should be noted that in the 29-year-old's attempt to escape, he threw various objects to the ground.
After the 29-year-old was arrested by the members of the Police, during a check of the objects he threw on the ground, it was found that they were four bags containing cocaine with a total gross weight of 30 grams. Subsequently, in a subsequent search of the 29-year-old's car, five mobile phones, five bags containing cannabis with a gross weight of 30 grams, and the sum of €4.770 were located and confiscated.
The 29-year-old is expected to appear before the Nicosia District Court today, for the issuance of a detention order.
YKAN (Nicosia Unit) continues the examinations.
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A 56-year-old man was arrested last night and taken into custody for driving under the influence of alcohol and causing a road collision, according to information from the Police.
Specifically, around 10 last night, while the 56-year-old was driving his car on a road in Limassol, under circumstances investigated by the Police, he crashed into a parked vehicle. The 56-year-old continued his course and then crashed into three other parked cars, causing them material damage, without any injuries.
From the impact on the last car, it moved forward and collided with another car parked near it. The 56-year-old's vehicle was immobilized during the last impact.
Members of the Limassol Traffic Police went to the scene where they located the 56-year-old inside his vehicle.
Subsequently, a preliminary breathalyzer test was carried out with an indication of 112μg instead of 22μg, which is the maximum limit by the Law. He was then taken to the offices of the Limassol Traffic Police for a final breathalyzer test where he did not give a satisfactory exhalation sample and was arrested.
He was taken into custody with the Limassol Traffic Police continuing the examinations.
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The two members of the Police against whom incidents of assault and beating are being investigated will be brought to justice, according to the Minister of Justice.
Kostas Fytiris states that the cases are being investigated with due seriousness and the State remains determined to proceed consistently both in strengthening discipline and accountability, as well as in further strengthening the operational effectiveness of the Police in the fight against crime.
The announcement of the Ministry of Justice is as follows
"The cleansing of the Police is progressing along with its effectiveness against crime and illegalities. This strengthens the trust of citizens in the Police."
In relation to the arrest of two members of the Police, namely a constable in Larnaca for a case of beating and a special police officer in Paphos for an investigated incident of assault and beating, which allegedly took place off duty, the Ministry of Justice and Public Order states that the cases are being investigated with due seriousness by the competent authorities, so that they can be brought to justice.
The Minister of Justice and Public Order, Mr. Kostas Fytiris, points out that the State remains determined to proceed consistently both in strengthening discipline and accountability, as well as in further strengthening the operational effectiveness of the Police in the fight against crime.
Behaviour that is not in line with the principles and mission of the House is not tolerated and is dealt with within the framework of legality.
At the same time, the Minister congratulates the members of the Police who, with their zeal and interest, have recently achieved substantial blows against illegality and all forms of crime and emphasizes that the vast majority of the members of the Police carry out their work every day with professionalism, responsibility and a sense of duty.
Consistency in the implementation of legality and strengthening the effectiveness of the Police are key priorities, with the aim of further strengthening the trust of citizens.
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A 44-year-old special constable was arrested today on a court warrant and taken into custody to facilitate investigations into an attack on a driver of a photo-tagging company, an offense committed on 12/03/2026 on the Paphos - Limassol highway.
The 44-year-old special constable was taken into custody while on the instructions of Mr. Themistos Arnaoutis, Chief of Police, he was suspended.
Another 37-year-old person was arrested for the same case.
The Paphos TAE continues the examinations.
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Customs and Police carried out a joint operation in premises in Ayia Napa, locating a number of illegal tobacco products, packages with nicotine bags and counterfeit clothing, which were confiscated.
On 14/3/2026, officials of the Customs Department in collaboration with members of the Office for Combating Offenses of Theft of Intellectual Property and Illegal Betting of the Police carried out a coordinated operation on premises in Ayia Napa to locate goods disposed of in violation of the relevant laws of the state.
During the inspections carried out, illegal tobacco products, packages with nicotine bags, tobacco bags, chewing tobacco as well as products that violate D.D.I. (imitations) were found and confiscated in two premises.
Specifically:
In the first premises, the following were located and confiscated:
- 39 packs of 20 cigarettes each
- 250gr roll-your-own tobacco
- 1Kg and 50gr of hookah tobacco
- 59 packs of tobacco bags
- 53 packs of chewing tobacco of 100gr each
- 69 packs of nicotine pouches
The owner of the premises was arrested for flagrante delicto, while he was later released, after his request for an out-of-court settlement of the offenses related to tobacco products with the payment of an amount of €1.000 was accepted. The packages with the nicotine bags were handed over to the Ayia Napa Police Station for further investigation.
In the second premises, the following were located and confiscated:
- 160 pieces of clothing and fashion accessories that infringed Intellectual Property Rights (imitations) of well-known trademarks
- 444 packs of nicotine pouches
As far as the counterfeit products are concerned, the owner's request for an out-of-court settlement of the offenses with the payment of an amount of €350 and the abandonment of the products for destruction was accepted. The packages with the nicotine bags were handed over to the Ayia Napa Police Station for further investigation.
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A criminal case is being investigated against a 35-year-old foreign mother, for offenses related to the exposure of a child to danger and for common assault.
According to information from filenews, the baby's father filed a complaint a few days ago, claiming that his 35-year-old partner shook their infant and threw him on the couch after a conversation they had. According to the same information, the child was shaken and upset by the attack.
Immediately after the complaint, members of the Police and a competent officer picked up the infant and transported him to the Limassol General Hospital for a medical examination. The child was kept for treatment as a precaution and according to the latest information, he was discharged yesterday and is now with his father.
An arrest warrant has been secured against the baby's mother. In fact, the Police are reportedly examining information that wants her to have hit the infant with her hands in the recent past.
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The mess with the dates of release from her employer brought the reversal by the court of appeal in the case of a domestic worker from Nepal. Her appeal was upheld, annulling the first-instance decision that had rejected her appeal against her declaration as an illegal immigrant and the detention and deportation orders issued against her.
According to the facts, the woman arrived in Cyprus on February 23, 2024 with an entry permit as a domestic worker in Larnaca. On 31 January 2025, she applied for a residence permit in order to work for a new employer, after she had been released from her first employer on 22 May 2024 and her previous residence permit had been cancelled.
On April 9, 2025, she was granted a letter of dismissal by a new employer, while when she was arrested in Nicosia on May 16, 2025, there was no pending application to the system. During her oral interview, she stated that she did not wish to return to her country and that she intended to find a new employer. On the basis of the service's recommendation, the administration declared her a prohibited immigrant and issued detention and deportation orders, on the grounds that she had remained illegally in the Republic since May 9, 2025, when it was considered that the deadline for finding a new employer had expired.
The court of first instance dismissed her action, finding that the contested decisions had been adopted by a competent body and that they were sufficiently reasoned.
In her appeal, she put forward four grounds of appeal, including that the decisions were issued by an incompetent person, that there was insufficient investigation and reasoning, that the administrative file did not contain the information necessary for judicial review and that the prescribed administrative procedure was violated.
The appellant argued that the adoption of the decrees was based on a release agreement that was not in the administrative file and that the deadline for finding a new employer expired arbitrarily. He argued that the release agreement was signed by the employer on 9 April 2025 but by the employer itself on 1 May 2025 and that the 30-day deadline should be calculated from the date of acceptance of the agreement.
The Court of Appeal noted that, according to the content of the agreement, the employee is obliged to find a new employer within 30 days of signing it, otherwise he must leave the Republic. However, it was observed that the agreement had different dates for signature by the two parties, which raised an issue as to the starting date of the deadline.
The court found that the release agreement was not part of the administrative file, even though it had been taken into account by the administration in determining the date on which the appellant's stay was considered illegal. If the 30-day deadline was calculated from May 1, 2025, as shown by the employee's signature, then on May 16, 2025, the date of issuance of the decrees, the deadline for finding a new employer may not have yet expired.
The Court of Appeal held that this evidence creates reasonable doubt as to the correctness of the administration's factual findings and makes it possible that there is a material error due to a lack of investigation.
Based on the above, the court accepted the relevant grounds of appeal, overturned the first instance decision and annulled the rejection of the appeal. The appeal was accepted and the appellant was awarded costs in the amount of €2,500 plus VAT.
