Police have launched an intense clampdown on organised crime, the force’s spokesman Christos Andreou confirmed on Tuesday, following reports in local media.
For a period of 60 days, police will step-up night patrols, with around 200 officers on motorised patrol late at night and into morning hours.
A 16-page plan of action, with the intent of combatting serious organised crime, has been sent by police leadership to all the heads of branches, services and departments within the police corps, according to Philenews.
The action plan which started on Friday and will continue through May 22.
“Citizens just need to be informed that over this time they will be seeing increased presence of police patrols, particularly at night,” Andreou told state broadcaster CyBC.
Frequent coordinated operations and systematic vehicle checks on suspicious persons and premises will be carried out during this time, he said.
It is clear that the measure is meant to deal a strong blow to criminal elements, after consensus has emerged that organised crime on the island has peaked and certain criminal elements were behaving with impunity, including openly organising crimes from prison.
Crime per capita in Cyprus has risen for the second consecutive year, according to the police’s annual statistics, released for 2021 and 2022.
In both 2022 and 2021, offences against property constituted the largest group of offences, accounting for 39.8 per cent and 37.5 per cent of all serious offences respectively.
Officials of justice, as well as police, have been targeted by the underworld, as in the case of a bomb outside the residence of a public prosecutor, in December and fire set to the prosecutor’s car in January.
According to the report in the daily, confidential instructions provided to police regarding the operation are highly specific, with 36 geographic areas under heightened surveillance boosted with input from the force’s information analysis unit.
Eleven areas will be monitored in Nicosia, nine areas in Limassol, six in Larnaca, five in Paphos, three in Famagusta, and two in Morphou.
Police officers working day shifts, 7am to 2.30, are also to be recruited, as are members of the immigration service and the drugs squad.
Trade unions have meanwhile reacted to the operational plan and actions required to be taken by staff. Last week police unions to “Equality” and Asdyk raised the issue of officers required to work overtime without appropriate remuneration, when it was announced they would be given their time in leave.
According to reports the staff affected number over 20, and police unions have also expressed concern over the additional the workload created by potentially increased arrests, and inadequacy of staffing numbers, as well as detention facilities.