LAMBRATZIES - FILES WERE FILED AGAINST PARENTS OF MINORS FOR INCOMPLETE SUPERVISION - TOOK 34 TRUCKS TO MOVE TIMBER - Filenews 9/4
More than 34 trucks have been needed, so far, to move timber and other fuel materials, which young people collect in parishes of Limassol, with the Police intensifying controls, in consultation with the Local Authorities, as we approach the night of the Resurrection.
As stated by the Assistant Police Director of Operations of ADE Limassol, Lefteris Kyriakou, in the context of the measures taken to prevent the use of firecrackers, fireworks and the lighting of lamps, during the Easter period, "a special team has been set up, which carries out daily checks, especially in areas where problems were observed in the past and where young people frequent, to collect objects for burning".
He pointed out that, to date, in cooperation with the Local Authorities, 34 trucks were needed to move timber and various other items collected for the lampratzia, while 15 arrests have also been made of young people, for nuisance and lighting a fire. In two cases, he noted, files were filed against parents of minors, under the age of 16, for inadequate supervision of their children.
Mr. Kyriakou stressed that "the Police will continue the checks and investigations, which are intensified from today until the night of the Resurrection, in order to prevent phenomena observed in the past".
He added that, in the context of the established meeting with all those involved, an officer has been appointed, as a communication liaison between the Local Authorities and the Police, for immediate information and response to any incident that arises.
Asked about this, he said that, on the night of the Resurrection, in Limassol, about 100 members of the Police will work and assured that "the Police will supervise for the safety of the citizens and will intervene where and where necessary".
The Assistant Police Director of Limassol appealed to everyone, especially young people, to avoid the use of dangerous firecrackers and lighting fires that may endanger the safety of citizens and property.
Besides, in their statements, the four Mayors of Limassol expressed their satisfaction with the cooperation with the Police, as well as the hope that there will be no problems of previous years.
The Mayor of Limassol, Yiannis Armeftis, said that the competent services of the Municipality had to intervene in various incidents to remove materials that were collected in parishes and indicated that this will continue, where necessary, with the assistance of the Police.
"There is excellent cooperation (with the Police), there is understanding and mutual information about any incidents," he added.
For his part, the Mayor of Polemidia, Andros Theodorou, stated that the lighting of lamps in the Municipality is expressly prohibited, except for the church of the Holy Cross, where it will take place in a controlled and organized manner.
"In the rest of the parishes, it is forbidden to light a lamp on the night of the Resurrection, as these are densely populated areas and every day our crews remove materials collected by young people, despite the explicit instructions," said Mr. Theodorou.
At the same time, he indicated that, where and where necessary, the response of the Police was immediate.
The Mayor of Amathus, Kyriakos Xydias, spoke of a "serious policing" this year, where "we also saw arrests being made". The Police, he continued, patrol intensively during the night and their presence is more reinforced than in other years "and this is important".
He also said that Municipal crews have moved large quantities of timber and fuel materials, "with many trucks", from the municipal districts of Germasogeia and Agios Athanasios.
The situation so far is calm, said, for his part, the Mayor of Kourium, Pantelis Georgiou, who said that there is an understanding with the residents of the municipal districts and with the Police of the Republic as well as the British Bases, which own some areas.
So far, he continued, there has been no need for municipal services to intervene, except for one incident in the municipal district of Kantu, where piles of wood and other flammable objects collected were removed.
"If we are asked to intervene, we have trucks and an excavator on standby, as well as the fire trucks of the Municipality," added Mr. Georgiou.
So far, the Union of Limassol Communities has not recorded any problems caused by the custom of lambratzia, said its President, Lefteris Pericles.
"We are in consultation with the Police and people have been appointed to contact them for anything that happens, so that there is immediate information and limitation of phenomena observed during this period," he said and added that no serious incidents have been recorded so far.
