The police detention centers of Cyprus are in a state of suffocation, with the situation deteriorating daily and the conditions of detention becoming more and more dangerous. In Limassol, in just one week, the number of prisoners skyrocketed from 60 to 90!
The worrying thing is that the problem, instead of being contained, is spreading to all provinces, revealing the serious weaknesses of the detention system.
The picture is equally revealing in the other provinces. In the two major districts, Nicosia and Limassol, 200% occupancy is recorded. In Larnaca, and specifically in Aradippou Station, the number of prisoners reaches 40, in Paphos from 38 which is the capacity there are about 75 prisoners, while in the Lakatamia detention center, where the available places are 38, the number reaches about 85. In Paralimni, 40 people are being held, instead of eight.
At the same time, the Central Prisons seem to be unable to absorb the number of prisoners. According to our information, they have asked the Police Directorates throughout Cyprus to transfer only four convicts or undertrials from each province, in order to be admitted to the Prisons.
90 prisoners in Limassol – Capacity of only 34 people
In Limassol, as filenews is authoritatively informed, about 90 persons are currently being held, of which about 20 are convicts, i.e. persons who have been sentenced and should have been transferred to the Central Prison to serve their sentences. The remaining approximately 70 are awaiting trial, i.e. persons who have not yet been convicted and remain in custody with cases pending before the courts. As a result, some days, the Limassol District even transfers 25 prisoners to the court.
The most infuriating thing is that the Limassol detention center has a capacity of only 34 people. The result is that conditions of suffocation are created and in some cases tensions are created between prisoners. At the same time, prisoners cannot have their basic rights in terms of communication, food and basic living conditions. In fact, due to the fact that there are not enough beds, they are forced to sleep on the ground.
Police detention centers are places intended for a short stay, as in the case of detentions lasting a few days and exclusively for the purpose of investigating criminal cases.
The current situation is characterized as a time bomb, with the risk becoming even greater if there is a fire in the detention centers. In such a case, under the current conditions of overcrowding, human lives will be at risk. As if all this were not enough, there are also problems of a sanitary nature, which concern the sewer pits.
It is worth noting that, so far, the Menogia Center has not been used as a place of temporary detention, despite the fact that the pressure on the police detention centers has now exceeded all limits.
Nikos Loizides: "A time bomb that we don't know when it will explode"
Speaking to "filenews", the president of the Police Branch of the "Equality" union, Nikos Loizides, said that "overcrowding exceeds 200%. Combined with reduced staffing, it creates an explosive mix, a time bomb that no one knows when it will explode."
He indicated that there are two solutions. "First, the detention centers of Menogia should be completed as soon as possible, so that prisoners can be transferred there. Second, to immediately implement the legislation on the electronic bracelet for undertrials, which was put forward for consultation in the Legal Committee during the period 2025-2026."
"As long as we delay, there will be negative consequences after a tragic event, which by today's standards is inevitable," he warned.
The total capacity of police detention centers throughout Cyprus amounts to approximately 160 places. At the moment, however, more than 260 people are being detained. In other words, the available positions have been far exceeded, with the Police being called upon to manage a situation that can no longer be dealt with with temporary solutions and makeshift arrangements.
