AYIA Napa is not a den of drugs, sex and violence. There are no gang fights or daily drunken brawls. British tourists who frequent the area are not louts who attack passersby.
In fact Ayia Napa is safe. It is what it has always been: a noisy, lively, vibrant, coastal party town – popular with tourists and locals.
“The stories in the media are grossly exaggerated about what is going in Ayia Napa,” Rural Officer George Economou said.
“There are no fights and we’ve had no trouble.”
Economou was referring to recent media reports regarding an influx of unsavoury tourists from the UK. The reports said the tourists were involved in frequent fights and used knives, batons and knuckle dusters, easily purchasable from souvenir shops.
“There is no need for people to feel afraid or insecure. There is an increase in people flow but this is something everyone knows about Ayia Napa and Protaras. All of Nicosia comes down to the Famagusta district as well as an increase in tourists. It’s a small area so it is going to get full,” he said.
Economou said police had received information that DJs would be arriving to play at local clubs for three to four weeks, bringing with them a hoard of faithful followers.
“Wherever there are people, there are going to be problems, so the police took precautionary measures,” he said.
These measures included increasing police patrols at night from 10 men to 40. Economou said 30 Nicosia officers from police headquarters’ traffic police and the Rapid Reaction Unit (MMAD) were dispatched to the area from 10pm to 6am.
The uniformed officers carried out foot and vehicle patrols, while traffic policing increased including a step up in breathalyser tests.
“Whoever breaks the law goes to court. The situation is under control and there are no problems,” he said.
Last week, two Britons were charged in writing and released for carrying knives. They would appear in court and most likely face a fine, he added.
It is likely the duo purchased the knives from shops in the area. Economou pointed out that although it was not illegal to sell knuckle dusters, it was illegal to walk around with them.
“So you can go in and buy one, but if you’re stopped and searched on your way out and it’s found on you, then you’ve committed an offence,” he said.
This loophole in the law was something which troubled police and was why they had asked for clarification from the Attorney-general on how best to proceed in future regarding the issue.
Economou said there had been a knifing incident last week involving a tourist which was called in by hospital staff. When officers arrived to investigate, the tourist sent them away saying he had nothing to report.
He said: “He didn’t want to co-operate. Nothing else has been reported to police other than that. Now if they fight between themselves and they don’t report it we can’t know about it. We can’t have police on every corner checking what’s going on 24 hours a day. Nevertheless, there are no serious fights and people don’t have to be afraid to walk in the street. There are some minor problems which happen in all tourist destinations but nothing that gets out of hand.”
Economou said Ayia Napa was a party town but that you wouldn’t find yourself being attacked by a group of drunks. At most they would walk past you singing, he said.
Additionally the Drug Squad had reported no increase in drug cases, he said.
“There are just a lot of people having fun. The police are by the people’s side… Ayia Napa is not to everyone’s liking. What is fun for you or me, might not be fun for someone else, but it’s not dangerous. Everything has been blown out of proportion,” he said.
Despite local media reports regarding complaints from Greek Cypriots about noise levels and rowdiness in the area, Economou said the police had received none.
“In general, people are saying that they feel safe and satisfied now that police have stepped up measures.”
Ayia Napa mayor Antonis Tsokkos also came out and said yesterday that the issue had taken on overinflated proportions and called on the media to protect the town.
“The situation, thanks to the measures we’ve taken, is under control and very soon the people who cause problems will leave. And similar problems will not reappear in the area,” Tsokkos said.
Police yesterday confirmed they had information the DJs had plans to leave the island around August 11 and with them their groupies.
