Four masked suspects broke into shops across the Paphos district overnight on Saturday, stealing cash and goods estimated at around €4,000.
Security industry sources say the raids mirror the “smash-and-grab” style crime seen internationally. According to those sources, the double-digit number of hits in Paphos, and the way they were carried out, is identical to that method.
The break-ins happened between midnight and 5:30am on Saturday, in various areas including Tala and Chlorakas. Police are examining ten cases, according to Paphos CID: three petrol stations, three pharmacies, two supermarkets and two kiosks. Material damage has not yet been assessed.
Similar waves of break-ins have hit other countries, including in Europe, since the previous decade, the sources said. English press reports from 2011 flagged concerns over similar mass smash-and-grab cases in Manchester and the wider Birmingham area.
The Guardian’s coverage at the time described hooded youths smashing shop window displays and stealing high-value goods.
A British police official said at the time that officers faced inexplicable criminal behaviour. “There was no motive whatsoever,” the officer said. “This is irrationality on a scale I have never seen before in my career.”
The recent spate of crime, combined with other incidents, has raised concern among Paphos residents.
Acting mayor Angelos Onisiforou addressed the issue in radio comments on Monday, on RIK’s Third Programme. Referring to Saturday’s break-ins, he also cited a separate incident involving delivery riders last week, as well as broader concerns about youth delinquency and vandalism of public property, saying drastic measures were needed.
He said Paphos municipal leaders would soon meet to agree a joint strategy to tackle such incidents, and repeated his call for cameras in public spaces.
He added that he had proposed the Mobile Immediate Action Unit carry out continuous operations.
Police spokesperson Vyronas Vyronos told Phileleftheros that Paphos CID began investigating the Saturday break-ins immediately. He said the situation had not spiralled out of control, and that police were continuing their efforts to safeguard public safety through various actions and campaigns.
