Government steps up crime crackdown

The government said Monday it is doing what it can to return a sense of safety to the wider public and to crack down on organised crime, part of it the result of increased security personnel.

Justice Minister Marios Hartsiotis made the comments in parliament which was reviewing the ministry’s budget for 2025.

Summarising the ministry’s objectives, Hartsiotis mentioned the ongoing reform of the justice system, introducing alterative dispute-resolution mechanisms like mediation, modernising the institution of arbitration, reforming family law, and modernising the operation of the attorney-general’s office and the Audit Office.

On security, he noted that the process of reorganising the police force is being sped up, while efforts are underway to improve the police’s response time to the public via an upgraded call centre. He also mentioned the cooperation with US law enforcement authorities such as the FBI, the package of measures aimed at curbing violence at sports venues and combating corruption and dealing with organised crime.

Regarding personnel, the minister spoke of 527 new positions in the police force. Meanwhile this year 272 people were hired in the Fire Department.

For the Central Prisons, the new wing has increased capacity for inmates. And next year construction work will begin on a new wing, expected to be completed by 2028.

During Q&A, the minister said that Cypriot law enforcement officers receive training from the FBI mostly on financial matters. On speeding up the delivery of justice, he said that the creation of criminal courts with only one judge is in the pipeline.

Meantime new legislation is being drafted on tackling violence by sports fans.

Coming back to the issue of the prisons, Hartsiotis said a new law would criminalise the use of mobile phones by inmates. In the interim, a team of experts would review a new system deactivating mobile phones in the immediate vicinity of the Central Prisons; this system is expected to go operational in mid-2025.

The government is meanwhile considering the use of ankle monitors for convicted felons, and also the option of convicts doing community service.

The minister said he hoped that “soon an improved sense of security will come about among society,” adding that “we’re on the right track.”

Elsewhere, the minister spoke about the bill to contain the spread of ‘fake news’. He acknowledged the bill had faced pushback from the media, which is why it was being reviewed now.

For his part, police chief Themistos Arnaoutis noted that 17 arrests have been made so far regarding cases of assaults against delivery drivers.

For fiscal year 2025, the justice ministry’s budget amounts to €493 million – a nine per cent increase on 2024.

Of this, €387 million relates to payroll, which has gone up by 11 per cent due to the Cost of Living Allowance.

Recurrent and development expenditures come to €106 million.

A breakdown by sector shows that €41 million is allocated to the prisons, €68 million to the Fire Department, and €377 million to the police.