Only a matter of time before police shot at says former top cop

It was only a matter of time before the shoot out with police officers in Limassol over the weekend was going to happen due to the economic difficulties plaguing the country, former chairman of the police association said on Tuesday.

“It was bound to eventually happen in Cyprus. Police officers are shot at in other European countries too. In Italy, far more frequently, maybe even daily between gangs. In Portugal, Spain… this isn’t uncommon,” Andreas Symeou said.

On Saturday evening two officers were shot at in their car after responding to a call about a parked rental car in Ypsonas whose three passengers were behaving suspiciously. A 37-year-old officer, Giorgos Georgiou, who was airlifted to Israel on Sunday, is said to be in stable condition. His colleague is being treated at a private clinic in Limasol.

Speaking to the Cyprus Mail, Symeou outlined that “maybe we were a little underprepared” because such incidents haven’t occurred in the past on the island.

“This will be a lesson for us now.”

According to Symeou, information to police about suspicious activity comes daily and it has become almost routine for officers. As such, they may not take the necessary precautions.

For this particular case “we don’t know what how much information was given. If they knew the car had people with guns, the officers would have worn bulletproof vests, gone with patrols not on their own.”

Now however, officers will be on higher alert after this case unfolded.

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.