By Rita Kyriakides
POLICE have been on full alert for gambling since the beginning of December in an effort to counter the expected increase over the holiday period.
Police Spokesman Stelios Neophytou told the Cyprus Mailyesterday that the Crime Prevention Unit would remain vigilant until January 6.
” There is always an increase in gambling over the holiday periods. We have seen many cases where families have been left without the bare necessities over the Christmas period because they have lost everything to gambling, “said Neophytou.
He added there was a possibility that recent robberies could be linked to gambling.
” People involved in the robberies could be stealing to gamble,”he said.
Police have been investigating any venue they might suspect is being used for gambling, even private residences.
In the first 11 days of December, there have been 279 investigations into possible gambling with 14 cases involving over 100 people.
A total of £4,300 has been confiscated, as well as cards and other gambling materials.
The maximum penalty for gambling is a £1,000 fine and/or one year in prison.
” As an enforcement agency, we are responsible for upholding the law. The courts have the final decision as to how severe the punishment will be, “said Neophytou.
Meanwhile, crime statistics released by police headquarters yesterday showed that most crimes had been concentrated in Limassol last year, while statistics up to October this year show that Nicosia has taken over.
According to the statistics to October this year, Limassol has had the most arson with 20 of the 52 cases investigated, the most robberies with 210 of the 639 cases, as well as the most bombings with 21 out of 41 incidents.
Nicosia has the most thefts, with 171 out of 507 cases, and the Famagusta area has the most drugs, with 88 out of 323 cases.
Bombings are the most difficult cases to solve, with only a 19.51 per cent success rate, while police have been very successful with drug-related cases with 93.19 per cent of them solved.
There have been a total of 3,414 cases of serious crime nationwide, of which 2,783 were solved.
