THE LATEST round of police transfers is rife with AKEL party favouritism and is also facilitating crime figures, opposition DISY said yesterday.
The DISY attack came after a series of police transfers have left the force reeling in the wake of the recent escape of recapture of rapist and killer Antonis Prokopiou Kitas, alias Al Capone.
DISY is accusing AKEL of facilitating the transfer and appointment of AKEL party members and supporters over the heads of more experienced candidates.
It suggested this process had benefited certain criminal elements, and that some police officers were complicit in illegal gambling.
DISY leader Nicos Anastassiades yesterday told a news conference: “Instead of upholding the irreproachable criteria of meritocracy, professional performance, honesty and ability, in the main what prevailed in the transfers were criteria dictated by party expediency and other such considerations.”
Anastassiades listed a wide range of allegations to “express its concern” over the alleged lack of meritocracy governing the transfers. It made the police look like a “control-mechanism for promoting party aims and expediency” he said.
“It pains me to say so, but for some people, country comes first; for others, the party comes first,” he added.
Anastassiades was asked whether he was really saying that criminal elements were telling police officers whom to remove or transfer from their post. He replied: “No, we are saying that they are making their influence felt on certain police officers, who then take particular action”, adding: “Corruption reigns supreme, and meritocracy has reached its nadir.”
DISY deputy Ionas Nicoloau said the party favouritism extended to every significant branch of the police force.
He also suggested that there was an ulterior motive for the outward transfer of 11 out of the 14 members of the Larnaca Crime Prevention Unit (OPE), saying that over the last 20 days they had carried out 42 raids on betting shops, confiscating a significant number of computers and making a number of arrests of people involved in electronic gambling, fruit machines, illegal betting and other gambling.
He said specifically that the transfer to Famagusta of three members of the unit who had recently received special training on electronic gambling, “serves the interests of the underworld”, since “they will not have the opportunity to use their new knowledge” in their new postings.
Nicolaou made similar suggestions regarding the Limassol OPE, saying that OPE officers carried out a check in December 2008 on a “well-known” clubhouse suspected of allowing betting to take place, and that they had subsequently received threats that they “would be sorted out and got rid of”. Nicolaou commented that those making the threats “finally succeeded”, as the specific officers were included in the outward transfers.
Referring to Limassol’s Research and Development Department, Nicolaou asked: “How can an officer head up a department of 30 technicians, when he is not familiar with the subject they specialise in?”
When asked if he thought that everything was fine under the previous government, Anastassiades said: “No, but it is clear that some senior officers – not all – are not up to the job, and it is those who concern us.”
He said there were situations in which certain transfers were signed by the third-in-command, when the Chief of Police and his Deputy were in the country.
The implication was that the top two officers “did not want their signature to appear on non-meritocratic transfers.”
Responding yesterday, Government Spokesman Stefanos Stefanou said that transfers did not take account of any party political or ideological criterion. The government “does not employ such practices”, he said.
Perhaps alluding to previous DISY-led governments, he added: “Such practices belong to the past, and when employed in the past they severely harmed the police force, with negative effects in terms of its capabilities.”
Stefanou said that references to junior officers having links to underworld figures were “totally unacceptable, beyond the pale, and also an insult to the police leadership”. “Such statements really lower the level of the debate too far, and there is no question of our stooping to that level,” he said.
Asked why the recent transfer-papers were not signed by the Chief of Police, Stefanou said the process was changed 18 months ago, allowing the Assistant Head of a particular department to execute transfers on behalf of the Chief.
He rejected suggestions that the President had any knowledge of the transfers. He said the Justice Minister had “shared some thoughts” with the Chief of Police, adding: “What the Presidency demands is that there should be a Police Force capable of carrying out its mission”. A statement from Police headquarters called the DISY accusations unfortunate.
* The transfers weakened those departments dealing with crime prevention, especially relating to electronic gambling, fruit machines, prostitution and sex trafficking
* Prior to their transfer, officers were vetted by the secret service (KYP) and AKEL’s “vigilance bureau”
* Officers with just a few months’ service were transferred over the heads of officers with 8 or 9 years’ experience because they were regarded as being close to AKEL.
* The number of members of the Crime Prevention Unit (OPE) in each district has been drastically reduced. Specifically, 19 members were removed from the Limassol OPE, with only 7 transferred in, and 11 out of 14 members of the Larnaca OPE were removed.
* Able officers have been removed from command positions due only to the fact that they did not have links with AKEL, and they have been replaced with officers who either are open AKEL supporters or enjoy the government’s complete confidence.
* “For the first time, the transfer papers were not signed by the Chief of Police.”
