Police HeadquartersResearch and Development Dept.

Nicosia 2006

Policingin Cyprus

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Policing in Cyprus Policing

in Cyprus

Police Headquarters Research and Development Dept.

Nicosia 2006

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INDEX Foreword ..........................................................................................................................................................3 Introduction......................................................................................................................................................4 Part A: Administration...........................................................................................................................5 Structure - Duties ....................................................................................................................5 Mission .........................................................................................................................................5 Operation .....................................................................................................................................5 Ranks.............................................................................................................................................5 Insignia............................................................................................................................................. Personnel ....................................................................................................................................6 Recruitment ...............................................................................................................................6 Part B: Departments at Police Headquarters............................................................................7 Department A : Administration .........................................................................................7 Department B : Traffic...........................................................................................................8 Department C : Crime Investigation Department ...................................................9 Department D : Scientific and Technical Support .................................................10 Research and Development Department .................................................................11 Part C: Directorate ..............................................................................................................................12 European Union and International Police Co-operation Directorate ...........................12 Part D: Police Services .......................................................................................................................13 Aliens and Immigration Service......................................................................................13 Drug Law Enforcement Service......................................................................................13 Criminalistic Services .........................................................................................................14 Police Inspection Service...................................................................................................14 Part E: Police Units ..............................................................................................................................15 Cyprus Police Academy......................................................................................................15 Mobile Immediate Action Unit .........................................................................................16 Presidential Guard Unit ......................................................................................................17 Port and Marine Police ......................................................................................................17 Part F: Police Districts .......................................................................................................................18 Part G: Other...........................................................................................................................................19 Community Policing..............................................................................................................19 International Meetings / Seminars in Cyprus .........................................................20 Citizen’s Charter....................................................................................................................20 Police Integrity /Police Public Relations / Recruitment.....................................21 Contact Details............................................................................................................................................21

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FOREWORD

The history of the Cyprus Police is relatively short, but during these few years of existence, it has made tremendous efforts to maintain peace in a society that has been characterized by a lot of political and social changes. It is an honour for me to take over the leadership of such an important service in the Republic of Cyprus but also a challenge, as these efforts need to continue in an increasingly complex society.

It gives me therefore great pleasure to foreword this issue, aiming to give a brief over-view of the structure and work of the Police of Cyprus.

Charalambos Koulendis Chief of Police

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INTRODUCTION The aim of this report is to outline in general terms the work carried out by the Cyprus Police thus offering information to the public regarding the nature of the services available. Although the structure of the Cyprus Police has been basically the same throughout the years, except for the creation of a few offices, its duties have changed and adapted according to the social and political changes that have been taking place on the island. Cyprus Police was established in 1960 alongside the Cyprus Gendarmerie. The Cyprus Police had a Greek Cypriot Chief and was responsible for the urban areas of the island, while the Gendarmerie had a Turkish Cypriot Chief and was responsible for the rural areas. In 1964, after the intercommunal trouble between the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots, the Turkish Cypriots withdrew both from the Gendarmerie and the Police, and the two forces were merged into one, to form the existing Cyprus Police. After the Turkish Invasion of the island in 1974, the police in Cyprus had to adapt to the new situation which called for increasing responsibilities in many areas such as the security of public buildings and embassies. Furthermore, the police have had to face increasing crime levels resulting from social changes and new social problems.

On April 23rd 2003, a few points along the green line were “opened” by the Turkish regime for movement to and from the two parts of Cyprus. This meant that the demands on the police were enormous, as they had (and still have) to control the movement of persons to and from the two parts, making sure that no unauthorized and illegal person comes to the south. With the accession of the Cyprus Republic into the European Union, the Police had to undergo further administrative changes as it no longer works for the safety of Cyprus alone but also of Europe in general, being at the further east end of the European Union. In 2006, the priority of Cyprus Police is to tackle the problems of Traffic accidents, Drug use and drug trafficking, Illegal Immigration and Criminality, as well as further improving the good relations with the public.

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Part A - Administration

Mission Cyprus Police was established according to Article 130 of the Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus. The mission of the Police as outlined in Police Law (73(Ι)/2004) is the following:

• The maintenance of law and order • The preservation of peace • The prevention and detection of crime • The apprehension and presentation of offenders before the court

According to Article 6 of the same law, the Police are responsible for the whole area controlled by the Cyprus Republic. Operation According to Article 8 of Police Law (73(Ι)/2004), the Chief of Police is responsible for the management of the Police throughout the whole of the Republic. The Chief of Police is supported by the Deputy Chief of Police and four Assistant Chiefs of Police. The main divisions within the Cyprus Police are the Headquarters, the Police Districts, the Police Units, the Police Services, a Directorate and the Fire Service. Ranks The Police personnel is organized into ranks as fol-lows:

• Chief of Police* • Deputy Chief of Police* • Assistant Chief of Police** • Chief Superintendent • Superintendent A’ • Superintendent B’ • Chief Inspector • Inspector • Sergeant • Constable

* (appointed directly by the President of the Cyprus Republic for an indefinite period) ** (four fixed positions – Administration, Education, Operations, Support; also the highest rank a po-lice officer can be promoted to)

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Personnel The police in Cyprus at the end of 2005 was made up of 4,321 members (excluding the Fire Service) of all ranks, for policing a population of 768,487 (estimate R.&D.D) inhabitants. In 2005 there were 829 women police officers (19% of the total workforce). Additionally, at the end of 2005 there were 820 Special Constables, a proportion of whom (26%), carried special duties in other services like the Cyprus Telecommunica-tions Authority, Cyprus Refineries, etc. Recruitment During 2005, 156 persons were recruited.

Primary School students during their tour at the Police Museum

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Part B – Departments at Police Headquarters

Department A: Administration Department A is the central Administration department of the police. It includes the following offices:

• Press Office • Public Relations Office • Personnel Office • Registry • Accounts Office • Housing and Welfare Office • Security Office • Police Band • Police Emergency Line • Police Museum • Citizen’s Telephone Line (1460)

Concert given by the Police Band at Strovolos Municipal Theatre (19/4/2005).

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Department B : Traffic Department B of the Police Headquarters is responsible for preventing road acci-dents, reporting of traffic offences and the provision of assistance to the public, for the whole island. More specifically, the Traffic Department is responsible for the following:

• Traffic Control • Road Safety • Road Safety Education • Traffic Statistics • Records of traffic offences convictions • Police Driving School • Co-ordination of district traffic sections on the prevention and reduction of road

accidents • Drawing up Strategic plans for the reduction in traffic accidents

The Traffic Department is structured as follows:

• Registry • Statistics Office • Traffic Research Office • Road Safety Office • Traffic Offences Record Office • Police Driving School • Vehicle Depot • Photo Ticketing System Office • Road Accident Prevention Squad • Special Motorcycle Squad

School visit to Police Headquarters

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Department C : Crime Investigation Department C of the Police Headquarters undertakes the investigation of all serious crime. It is divided into the following sections:

• Registry • C.I.D. (Operations) • Crime Registry • Weapons Registry • Financial Crime Investigation Unit • Police Dogs Unit • Explosives Unit • Crime Prevention Office • Cultural Heritage Office • Crime Analysis Office • Crime Intelligence Office • Human Trafficking Office • Discrimination Office • National Office for the collection of information on hooliganism • Office for the Prevention / Fight against Domestic Violence and abuse of

juveniles • Office for combating Intellectual Property crimes and Illegal Gambling

Demonstration by the Dogs Unit at the Open Day of Police Headquarters 12/11/2005

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Demonstration by Police Air Wing at “ARGONAFTIS 2005”

Department D : Scientific and Technical Support Department D is responsible for the drafting and materialization of plans for the technological update of the Police as well as supervising and providing scientific and technical support for telecommunications and other technical appliances. Additionally, it is responsible for the publication of tenders for the purchase of all police equipment. Department D comprises of the following:

• Telecommunications section • Vehicle maintenance Workshop • Central Stores • Public Contract Section • Police Air Wing • Coastal Radar System • Transport Office

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Research and Development Department The main responsibi l i ty of the Research and Development Department is to carry out research and to develop plans for the improvement of the Police. More specifically the department carries out the following:

• Introduction of new methods and procedures aiming at the improvement of the efficiency of the police

• Research • Analysis and presentation of

statistics on various issues e.g. drugs, crime, etc.

• Preparation and publication of the Annual Police Report

• Computerization / Development / Planning for the Police

• Other matters designated by the Chief of Police

The Research and Development Department is divided into the following sections:

• Registry • Research Office • Statistics Office • Information Technology Section • Data Entry Office

Front view of the Research and Development Department

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Part C - Directorate

European Union and International Police Co-operation Directorate The Directorate of the European Union and International Police Co-operation is responsible for monitoring the application of the relevant acquis communitaire by the Cyprus Police. Members of the Directorate participate in various Working Groups and Expert Committees of the E.U., represent Cyprus Police in Diplomatic Missions, act as Liaison Officers with EUROPOL and INTERPOL, and participate in E.U. directed peacekeeping police missions. The Directorate is divided into specialized offices:

• E.U. and International Relations Office • Legal Co-operation Office • Human Rights Office • Combating Terrorism Office • National INTERPOL Office • National ΕUROPOL Office • Police Co-operation Office • S.I.RE.N.E Office

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Part D – Police Services

Aliens and Immigration Service

The Al iens and Immigrat ion Service is responsible for the applica-tion of the Aliens & Immigration Law and Regulations. It is responsible for passport control at the entry / exit points of the Republic, the registry and control of aliens, as well as consideration of aliens’ applications for entry, permanent residence, employment etc.

Drug Law Enforcement Service The mission of the Drug Law Enforcement Service is the protection of society from drugs and psychotropic substances. To this effect, the D.L.E.S. undertakes the prevention and combating of local drug production, trafficking and consumption of these drugs. Close co-operation is maintained with local non-police agencies, as well as with international organizations such as INTERPOL, EUROPOL, United Nations, etc.

Drug Law Enforcement Unit at Open Day of Police Headquarters 12/11/2005.

Police Officer during passport control at Larnaka International Airport.

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Criminalistic Services Criminalistic Services are responsible for the scientific examination of exhibits and crime scenes, as well as for the scientific police evidence presented before the court. The Unit comprises of laboratories and sections such as:

• Criminalistic Examination Laboratory • Physical Sciences Forensic Laboratory • Document Examination section • Fingerprints section • Photography section

Police Inspection Service The mission of the Police Inspection Service is the regular inspection of all sections of the police to ensure that police duties are carried out properly and high levels of professional integrity are maintained.

Demonstration by the Fingerprints section at Open Day of Police Headquarters 12/11/2005.

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Part E - Police Units

Cyprus Police Academy The aim of the Cyprus Police Academy is to offer academic and professional training to all the members of the Police. The Academy is comprised of two sections, the educational section and the administrative section. The Educational section includes three schools, namely,

• The Senior Officers School • The School for Sergeants and Constables • The School for Foreign Languages

The Administrative section includes

• Legal Research office • Support Office • Co-ordinator of Training • Office for handling CEPOL issues • Registry

Panoramic view of Cyprus Police Academy

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Mobile Immediate Action Unit The mission of the Mobile Immediate Action Unit is the i m m e d i a te r e s p o n s e a n d management of h igh r isk incidents, organized acts of violence, natural disasters (floods, earthquakes etc) and terrorist activities. Additionally they are responsible for the secur ity of v i ta l installations, VIP protection and any other special duties assigned to them by the Chief of Police.

Training of police recruits on the transportation of injured persons

Training of police recruits

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Presidential Guard Unit The mission of the Presidential Guard Unit is the safety and security of His Excellency the President of the Republic of Cyprus and the members of his family. The members of the Presidential guard are also responsible for the safety of the P r es iden t i a l P a lace , t he Presidential Residence and the Summer Residence at Troodos.

Port and Marine Police The Port and Marine Police is responsible for patrolling and surveillance of the territorial waters of the island. The P.&M. Police focuses on the prevention and combating of illegal immigration, smuggling of drugs, arms trafficking, and generally on the security of the ports, enforcing Maritime Law.

Front view of the Presidential Palace

Demonstration of the Port and Marine Police at ARGONAFTIS 2005

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Part F - Police Districts The Police is divided into seven Police Districts:

• Nicosia • Limassol • Larnaka • Paphos • Famagusta • Morfou • Kyrenia (since 1974 Kyrenia

district has not operated) Each Police District maintains District Headquarters situated in the central town of the district.

The Fire Service is considered still to be a f u r th e r Po l i c e D i s t r i c t b e c a u s e administratively it is part of the Police. The possibility of creating an autonomous Fire Service is being considered.

Fire Brigade Training

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Part G - Other

Community Policing Community Policing began in Cyprus in 2003 on a pilot basis in three different areas on the island : Strovolos (Nicosia), Ayios Ioannis (Limassol), Kiti (Larnaka). The mission of Community Policing is the close co-operation between the Police and the public, the building of relationships of mutual trust, and the fight against crime. Since May 2006, Community Policing was extended to the areas of Geri, Tseri, Ayios Athanasios, Limassol Turkish Neighbourhood, Aradippou, Livadia, Kato Paphos, Pegia, Sotira, and Liopetri.

Visit of members of Community Police at certain kindergarten of Strovolos area

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International Meetings / Seminars in Cyprus During the last few months, Cyprus has hosted various International / European Meetings / Seminars. The following were of particular importance: * MEDA / CEPOL Seminar : «Combating Financial Crime especially Money Laundering» 4-8 April 2005 * 27th Conference Capital Policing : “Illegal Immigration” 10-13 May 2005 * Interpol 34th European Regional Conference 25-27 May 2005 * Electronic Network Working Group (CEPOL) Meeting 24 October 2005 * Joint Knowledge Network Workgroup (CEPOL) Meeting 25-26 October 2005 * MEDA / CEPOL Seminar «Cyber Crime» 21-25 November 2005

C i t i z e n ’ s

Charter Cyprus Police are aware of the continuous need to improve the services offered to the public. For this purpose the Citizen’s Charter has been compiled which illustrates these services and what a citizen can expect of the police. In this way, the Police is aiming to improve police – public relationships, which will in turn improve the perform-ance of the Police itself.

Participants at a MEDA / CEPOL seminar on

“Combating Financial Crime especially

Money Laundering”

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Police Integrity In order to ensure police integrity, Cyprus Police has adopted the Police Code of Conduct. In addition, an external Investigation Committee has been set up by the Republic of Cyprus which will examine any allegations on acts of corruption by police officers.

Police Public Relations The Public are considered by the Police of Cyprus as an extremely important ally in the fight against crime, thus they are constantly making conscious efforts to improve their relationship. At the same time due to the sensitivity of the Police to social problems and social needs they organize on a constant basis blood donation events, created the Cyprus Torch Run in aid of Special Olympics, in addition to organizing numerous charity events.

Recruitment Recruitment in the police is open to all citizens of the Cyprus Republic (men and women alike) who fulfill the requirements as set out in The Police (General) Regulations 1989-2004.

Contact Details For further information or any other matter that concerns the Cyprus Police please contact:

Police Headquarters 1478 Nicosia Cyprus Tel: + 357 22808080 Fax: + 357 22808598 Email: police@cytanet.com.cy Website: http://www.police.gov.cy

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Organizational Structure of the Cyprus Police

Chief of Police

Chief of Police Office Public Relations Office

Public Relations Office Press Office

Deputy Chief of Police

ASSISTANT CHIEF (ADMINISTRATION)

• Research and Development Department

• European Union and International Police Co-operation Directorate

• Department A’ (Administration)

• Police Inspection Ser-vice

ASSISTANT CHIEF (TRAINING)

• Police Academy

• Recruitment Office

ASSISTANT CHIEF (OPERATIONS)

• Operations Office

• Criminalistic Services

• Criminal Investigation Department

• Drug Law Enforcement Unit

ASSISTANT CHIEF (SUPPORT SERVICES)

• Department B’ (Traffic & Transportations)

• Department D’ (Scientific & Technical Support)

• Aliens & Immigration • Mobile Immediate

Action Unit (M.I.A.U) • Central Information

Unit (C.I.S.) • Presidential Guard • Port & Marine • Fire Service

Nicosia Division

Limassol Division

Larnaka Division

Paphos Division

Famagusta Division

Morfou Division

Keryneia Division

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Cyprus Police Insignia

Chief of Police Deputy Chief of Police Assistant Chief of Police

Chief Superintendent Superintendent A’ Superintendent B’

Chief Inspector Inspector

Senior Sergeant Sergeant Acting Sergeant Senior Constable

Acting Sergeant Senior Constable

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Police HeadquartersResearch and Development Dept.

Nicosia 2006

Policingin Cyprus