Public identify drugs as biggest challenge for police

GREEK Cypriots believe drugs are the biggest problem on the island, with crime and road accidents close behind, police said yesterday.

According to a national poll carried out by CMR-Cypronetwork Marketing Research Ltd on behalf of the police, about the relationship between the public and the force, 71 per cent of 2,000 people asked thought drugs were a major problem, while 57 per cent expressed concern about crime and 41 per cent thought accidents were one of the biggest problems.

The general image of the force was good, with 50 per cent of those asked saying their opinion was positive, while 16 per cent said the police image was bad, and 32 per cent did not have an opinion.

More than 50 per cent of those asked said they could trust the police, with 17 per cent saying the force was untrustworthy, while 32 per cent did not have an opinion; 44 per cent felt the police were reliable, with only 19 per cent disagreeing.

The majority of those asked also believed the police was effective, responded well to calls, was effective and had good relations with the public.

But on the negative side, 14 per cent of those asked admitted to having committed a traffic violation, and nine per cent admitted they had argued or clashed with a police officer.

Of those asked, 80 per cent said that they had not called on the police for assistance in the past year, while 73 per cent of those who asked for assistance or reported a crime said the police was quick to respond and effective.

According to the poll, 60 per cent of those asked believe football creates the highest tension in social groups, followed by tensions between Paphos residents and Greek Pontians.

The majority of those asked are satisfied with the work of the police force, with 48 per cent saying they were very satisfied or satisfied, while10 per cent said they were very dissatisfied; 42 per cent were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied.

According to the poll, 60 per cent are aware that the police face problems while carrying out their work, but 57 per cent believe there is a lot of political intervention in the force, and 26 per cent believe the police is being badly run.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.