PAPHOS’ new chief of police has promised to significantly reduce all types of crime over the coming months.
The Famagusta-born career policeman has a spectrum of issues to tackle, ranging from internecine crime within the area’s large Pontian community to contemporary issues such as noise pollution, drug crimes and delinquency.
Costas Soteriou was drafted in to clear up the mess, following a variety of scandals, which kept the local police force in the headlines for all the wring reasons.
There were numerous allegations of fraud and theft, reportedly committed by Paphos officers, including the now legendary ‘break-in’ and theft of confiscated gambling machines, from the police station’s evidence storage facility.
“Paphos had so many problems before I came here,” said Soteriou. “Everything was upside down.
“We also had a variety of difficulties within the police force; the organisation wasn’t good enough, so when I came here I made some immediate changes.”
The first step was to strengthen the crime prevention department.
“At that time there were only nine people serving in this section, now I’ve increased it to 23. If this department is strong, you can sleep at night,” smiled Soteriou.
The crime prevention unit patrol Paphos at night, checking pubs, music, and drinking, and all the trouble that comes with it.
There are parts of Paphos where drinking on the street and drunks are a big problem. It’s illegal to drink alcohol in the street in Cyprus and Soteriou assured that anyone causing trouble would immediately be arrested.
He went onto urge the Paphos community to call in if they’re concerned about any situation.
“There are so many different nationalities living here,” he said. “Before I came, there was a big problem with the Pontian community, but they now understand they will go before the court, or be taken into police custody,” he emphasised.
He added, “We don’t have any trouble with the British residents; they are financially secure or elderly.
“I’m also pleased to say we don’t have any problems with the soldiers of Akrotiri base. They still come to Paphos and they drink, but they don’t cause any trouble.
“We have a close co-operation with the SBA police, and we meet every six weeks. Since the day I came to Paphos, we haven’t had any trouble with the British soldiers,” he announced.
Originally from Famagusta before moving to Larnaca, Soteriou entered the force on January 1, 1984. His 27-year-old son is also a police officer and his 26-year-old daughter is a doctor.
Policing in Paphos is facing serious problems, as Soteriou claims there aren’t yet enough officers to cover the requirements.
“We have about 320 officers in Paphos at the moment. Some 23 of them will soon be going to the police academy in Nicosia to complete their training.
“I would like to have 380 officers; this number would ensure smooth policing. But I think this will be hard to attain,” he admitted.
Of the total number of officers in Paphos, 170 are from Limassol and 40 are from Pyrgos. Soteriou noted the difficulty of encouraging young people in Paphos to enter the local police.
The new police chief has a reputation for being a fair man but also a firm one. In answer to the question of corruption within the ranks, Soteriou replied, “My officers are all good police.
“They all know that if they step out of line, they will be severely punished’.
The serious crime statistics for Paphos show that from January 1, 2008 until August 31, 2008,the cases of serious crime were recorded as 319. For the same period last year there were 485. These crimes include, murder, burglary, arson, and bomb attacks.
According to Soteriou, there’s also a serious problem with youth crime, in particular vehicular crime in villages of the district.
“We are about to undertake an operation with the traffic police, crime prevention and CID, and will aim to reduce the number of youngsters riding or driving motorbikes and cars without an exhaust.” He continued, “It’s a terrible situation and they don’t allow the residents to sleep at night.”
Youth crime is increases every year, and Soteriou puts the blame firmly on the shoulders of the family.
“There are more and more youngsters who are allowed to do what they want,” he observed. “Parents don’t keep an eye on them; they let them go out whenever and wherever they want, and they don’t know their friends. This must stop. Families must take responsibility for their children,” he stated.
The drugs squad in Paphos has had a good success rate in the past, but as with most towns in Cyprus, incidents of drug peddling or abuse are on the increase.
“The situation in the north of the island makes it easy for drugs to make their way over to us; and also checks at customs could be more stringent.
“For example, Limassol customs only check one container in every twelve. In addition, more Cypriots are taking drugs including heroin, and society is changing.
“There is now a big mixture of nationalities in Paphos.”
Soteriou continued, “Europeans, Africans, Indians and so on. There are 13,000 Pontians living in Paphos, and many of them have brought their way of life with them.”
He remained confident that the situation was picking up “I believe Paphos will be better in the near future, and in a short time I hope to reduce every sort of crime.”
