Police measures are unbelievable

Sir,

As a retired police officer still employed as a civilian by the local police department and a very regular visitor to Cyprus, the latest article (New police plan to lower road deaths, February 14) on how to reduce the accident toll on Cyprus’ roads made me shake my head in disbelief. To quote, 74 per cent killed in car accidents had no seat belt on, 58.3 per cent of motorcyclists killed had no helmet on and 40.6 per cent were over the legal limit. These statistics must surely bring the whole police department into disrepute; that so many people are openly willing to flout the laws in Cyprus, and remember these statistics are only for those actually killed, not for those actually flouting the law and getting away with their life intact.

No amount of cameras can defeat this attitude of ‘the police don’t care, why should I?’. The problem is staring you in the face: enforcement of the laws is negligible. The reasons for this I cannot comment on, is it a severe lack of resources? Is it an actual attitude problem within the police dept (eg they never wore seatbelts/helmets as they grew up so see the law in a bad light)? Or is it just low morale within the force leading to apathy.

I know when I return to Cyprus nothing will have changed, seat belts will go unworn, helmets will stay in the house (even when worn most people I see do not buckle them up, rendering them useless).

If Cyprus needs assistance, I’m sure many of my similarly younger retired officers who enjoy the hospitality of Cyprus would be willing to assist in any way we can with this serious problem.

Gavin Hogg
Edinburgh

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.