US help in fighting cybercrime and terrorism

By Jean Christou

THE US State Department on Wednesday handed over a package of crime-fighting equipment to the police worth €140,000 to help fight cybercrime and terrorism.

The equipment was presented to newly-appointed Police Chief Zacharias Chrysostomou at the Special Antiterrorist Squad Unit HQ in Nicosia by the US embassy’s Deputy Chief of Mission Andrew Schofer on behalf of Ambassador John Koenig.

Schofer lauded the ongoing cooperation between the US and the Cyprus police force and said it was hoped this would expand in the coming year. “It’s an extremely important part of our bilateral relationship,” he said.

The donated equipment, he said was the “physical part” of a programme that included six weeks of training in North Carolina for members of the CNP’s Special Anti-terrorist Squad and the Emergency Response Unit, and further two training courses that took place in Athens during the last year.

“So, while the equipment is important, it is the training, interaction, and cooperation that is most important in developing the relationship between Cypriot and American law enforcement personnel,” said Schofer.

“Such personal relationships are the glue that help hold the larger relationship together and it is our hope that we will see many more Americans here in Cyprus, including businessmen and investors as well as tourists.” More officer training programmes are planned for the coming year. Over 40 Cypriot officers received training in the US last year.

“In addition, our embassy will fund other programmes to deal with such issues as trafficking in persons in order to achieve more successful convictions,” Schofer said.

Chrysostomou said the participation of Cypriot police officers, as well as the equipment offered would be of “significant importance” to the force’s operation. Previous US assistance had “improved, to a great extent, our skills and efficiency in carrying out our duties”, the police chief said.

 

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.