The phenomenon of theft of vehicles or parts from them continues to have serious dimensions in Paphos, mainly regarding wrecked and very old vehicles. This seemingly incomprehensible fact is explained by the boom in the purchase of old cars by foreigners and which are in frequent need of spare parts of every condition and quality.
Typical cases have recently been recorded even in the busiest areas in the city of Paphos, such as in the area of Kykkos Lyceum in Paphos and around the Dasoudi Municipal Park, where vehicle thefts were reported, despite the existence of many closed circuits in the area. The perpetrators are also chasing cases of abandoned vehicles as was the case of an owner who had left his car parked for months in an open area of Paphos, with the result that when he went to pick it up a few days ago he found it literally half. The unknown perpetrators dismantled it and took most of its parts, apparently to sell or reuse.
These cases are not unrelated, according to competent sources, to the recent complaints that thefts and vandalism of cars in Paphos are related to the phenomenon of traffic on the roads of many old vehicles purchased by foreigners. An intervention on the issue was expressed by the MP of Paphos of DIKO, Chrysanthos Savvidis, who points out that the too many old cars in Paphos, which are usually driven by foreigners, have created the need for cheap spare parts.
However, these spare parts, he emphasizes, on the one hand are not enough in the market, due to the many damages that wrecked cars constantly present, and on the other hand genuine spare parts are clearly more expensive than used and stolen ones. Therefore, they easily find buyers, i.e. the owners of such vehicles, who are unable to spend a lot of money on repairs or maintenance. This is also the reason why they own an old car.
The Paphos MP called on the state to increase the Paphos police force so that the Directorate can respond to the many needs that arise due to the increase in population from the continuous migration wave of recent years.
