THE AUDIT OFFICE - IN 2013 THEY DISMANTLED THE SHELTER SERVICE AND SENT ENGINEERS TO THE LICENSING OF DEVELOPMENTS - MESS WITH 'SafeCY' APPLICATION - Filenews 27/3 by Vassos Vassiliou
In the name of development, the service that was active in locating and configuring shelters was dismantled, with the result that today we have reached the point where the Google Maps navigation application depicts a shelter location, where there is agricultural land without buildings.
The above is inferred from a memorandum of the Audit Office, which concerns the management and operation of Civil Defense shelters.
In the memorandum of the Auditor General, an excerpt from the minutes of the meeting of the Council of Ministers dated 10.7.2013 (decision number 75.411) is also cited, in which it is shown that in the name of speeding up the licensing of developments, the program for the creation of shelters was essentially abolished.
Specifically, the minutes state that the Council of Ministers decided to approve:
"The suspension of the Shelter Creation Program and the transfer of the four civil engineers and the three technicians to the provincial administrations-Administration of the Ministry of the Interior, to meet the needs of accelerating the licensing of the developments by the end of 2014". In other words, for about a year and a half, the program of locating and creating shelters simply ceased to exist."
It is recalled that it was then that the real estate sector flourished with all the side effects that subsequently arose for the name of Cyprus.
The memorandum of the Audit Office also presents excerpts from another meeting of the Council of Ministers, dated 28/1/2015 (decision number 78.249), where it is stated that the Cabinet decided to approve:
"The continuation of the Program for the Creation and Maintenance of Civil Defense Shelters, as a Program for the Identification and Creation of Shelters and Protection Areas, with the utilization of one of the Civil Engineers, which were initially allocated for this purpose and the parallel utilization of the remaining three Civil Engineers and three Technicians, for the needs of the Ministry of Interior, as stated in the Proposal".
That is, based on this decision, only one of the four engineers of the shelters is reinstated while the remaining three were decided to be used by the Ministry of the Interior for other purposes.
The three technicians, who participated in the previous group for the shelters, are not mentioned.
The Auditor General also records the following:
-Our Service carried out a limited audit on issues related to the management and operation of Civil Defence shelters, with emphasis on the experience of citizens in their search and use. The investigation focused on the clarity and reliability of the information provided, the possibility of locating the shelters and their accessibility in case of emergency.
-In this context, a trial use of the "SafeCY" application was carried out during the period 4–7 March 2026, as well as on-site visits to a sample of shelters in the Nicosia District. At the same time, the information provided through the Civil Defense Operations Control Center was examined.
Information through the Operations Center
The test communication with the Operations Center showed differences in the information provided in relation to the application, creating uncertainty as to the accuracy of the data.
Reliability of information from "SafeCY"
Inaccuracies were found in addresses, photos and details of shelters, which makes it difficult to locate them.
Incomplete identification
In several cases, basic data such as license plate number or capacity are not provided, making it difficult to confirm the premises.
Lack of navigability
The app does not provide guidance towards shelters, requiring the use of additional tools.
Unclear categorization of shelters
The terms "Public" and "Public" are not explained, creating confusion as to their use.
Availability of shelters
Some spaces are used for other purposes, without ensuring immediate availability.
Contradictory instructions to citizens
Different directives create ambiguity as to what citizens should do in case of emergency.
The findings highlight weaknesses that affect the state's readiness to protect citizens and make it necessary to improve the information and coordination of the competent services.
-As part of the investigation by our Service, a test communication was carried out with the said Civil Defense Operations Control Center, in order to examine the degree of response and provide guidance regarding the identification of shelters. Specifically, eight phone calls were made, both in the morning and in the evening hours, of which seven were answered, while one morning call was not answered.
During the test communication with the Operations Control Center, information was requested to locate a shelter, from a "citizen" who lives in an apartment building at 12 Panagioti Kaspi Street, 1095 Nicosia. The "citizen" stated that, according to the "SafeCY" application, the underground area of his apartment building appears as a shelter, however, during the on-site visit, no relevant signage indicating the area as a shelter was found. From the communication with the Operations Control Centre, different information emerged, according to which the nearest shelter is located in the building of the Cyprus Stock Exchange (CSE), at 71-73 Vyronos Street, Nicosia.
From the above case, questions arise as to whether the register of shelters available to the call center is identical to the register used as a source of information for the application
When using the "SafeCY" application to locate Civil Defence shelters, several inaccuracies and ambiguities were identified, which may create confusion for citizens, especially under emergency conditions.
Update from Ministry of Interior - Regarding the findings of the Report of the Audit Office on the shelters, the Ministry of the Interior notes that gaps and weaknesses have been identified in the program for identifying and creating shelters and actions have been implemented to improve the situation over the last three years.
Specifically, as he states, having recognized the difficulties caused by the practice of creating shelters in underground spaces of private residences that was followed until 2023, with instructions from the Minister of the Interior, anew approach was adopted that focuses on the creation of shelters in public spaces with a large capacity, such as underground public parking lots, underground supermarkets, hotels, churches, etc. With this method, although the absolute number of shelters is smaller, the population coverage rate is expected to increase. At the same time, due to a lack of public information about shelters, the SafeCY application was developed in 2024, which needs to be improved, which was evident in recent events. Already, in collaboration with the Deputy Ministry of Innovation and the "KIOS" Center, the application has been significantly corrected.
The Ministry of the Interior notes that the findings of the Audit Office confirm the Ministry's findings and the need for reorganization and modernization of the shelter program, an effort that began in 2023, where an effort to gradually improve the civil protection framework began. The goal is to be able to strengthen our level of response as soon as possible, with the implementation of actions.
