AN INTERNAL police memo regarding officers of the law referring members of the public to a private Larnaca security company to settle their problems was based on vague rumours and nothing more, the Justice Minister said yesterday.
Speaking to reporters following a meeting with the police leadership, Loucas Louca confirmed that there had been rumours of police officers advising people to use private security services to resolve their complaints but that these had proved baseless.
“An investigation conducted found nothing against any member of the force,” he said.
The minister explained that the existence of the rumours in conjunction with the new police leadership’s promise to eliminate all phenomena of corruption had prompted Larnaca’s police chief to better inform the town’s members.
“And he wanted to show the police leadership’s intention that it won’t accept such phenomena. Kind of like a warning in case such a phenomenon presented itself,” Louca explained.
The minister was referring to an internal memo recently issued by the town’s police chief to all Larnaca police personnel. The document, which caused quite a stir following the publication of its alleged contents on Wednesday, apparently named ‘A Team Security Services’ as the private firm. It also linked the company to a local businessman with alleged underworld dealings.
“Vague rumours. There was nothing specific or any allegation,” said Louca.
No person had the right to take the law into his own hands and implement it because the only instrument allowed to enforce law and order was the police force, he added.
Despite the minister’s assertions, an email to the Cyprus Mail from ‘A Team Security Services’ said it was proud to have assisted police on many occasions although it did not intend to act as a substitute for police.
General manager Avraam Marangos said: “We have a deep and abiding respect in the rule of law and are proud to have played a part in making Larnaca the safest town on the island.”
The Justice Minister told newsmen all rumours were examined and the more serious ones were investigated by police.
He reiterated that it was the police’s intention to stamp out such phenomena and that Larnaca’s police chief had wanted to draw his members’ attention to this fact.
“These people, who belong to the police force and deal with any other activities have no place in the police force,” he stressed.
Louca also denied the police force was unable to deal with people’s complaints and that it was wrong for anyone who thought otherwise to “resort to other solutions, if they do resort to them”.
He added that the police would not tolerate anyone who undertook such cases and took the law into his own hands.
