THE CONCEPT of neighbourhood policemen may sound good, but residents of crime-stricken suburbs say it will take a lot more than that to solve their problems.
Earlier this week Justice Minister Doros Theodorou repeated plans to set up community police and/or “voluntary police officers”, particularly in high-risk areas such as the suburbs outside the large cities.
Theodorou was speaking at a news conference on the planned restructuring of the police force, which would include the modernising of the penal code and the establishment of local “delinquency-prevention councils”.
It is by all accounts an ambitious and long-term endeavour.
But at least three of Nicosia’s suburbs – Latsia, Geri and Tseri – have no police station of their own, and are assigned resources on an ad hoc basis and depending on manpower availability at any given time. Local officials suggest that bringing in neighbourhood policemen would be like placing the cart before the horse.
“Our top priority is to have a fully operational police station… anything less than that will do nothing to combat crime,” said mayor of Geri Harris Loizides.
“Whenever something happens here we have to call a regional police station… if they have someone to spare they will send him over. That’s how bad it is.”
He told the Sunday Mail that your friendly neighbourhood law enforcement officer would be “eaten alive” by the gangs of youths driving around on their bikes.
“He probably wouldn’t last two minutes on the streets,” remarked Loizides.
“This type of policeman is used for other duties – walking around a community, helping people, a kind of trouble-shooter. That’s all well and fine, but dealing with serious crime is quite another thing.”
Several months ago, police conducted shock raids at Geri and Tseri, suburbs plagued by youths doing stunts on their motorcycles, causing mayhem on the streets and – more sinisterly – peddling drugs.
The crime rate may have dropped since then, but Loizides is worried that a resurgence might occur at any time.
“Thank God things are peaceful now… but for how long?”
Another idea in the pipeline, rehashed this week, is the introduction of drug tests on motorists. Drawing on statistics showing that the use of narcotics is spreading on the island, the Justice Ministry believes the measure would help curb the horrific road death toll.
But the affair is currently bogged down due to legal considerations. The relevant laws have to be amended to ensure that citizens’ rights are not violated.
Haritos Yiangou, head of the Drug Law Enforcement Agency (YKAN), told the Mail that no funds had yet been aside for the purchase of narcotest kits and equipment.
He said the Attorney-general should first give the go-ahead before any action was taken.
Critics say officials periodically toy with such radical ideas as the neighbourhood officer as a misguided way to deal with the lack of police manpower. Although the police arguably do not have enough human resources, the problem is exacerbated by poor allocation. Sceptics say that too many policemen are sent on trivial assignments, such as collecting outstanding debts or inspecting minor traffic accidents in towns.
