Police chief Themistos Arnaoutis is holding a series of briefings with officers across the force on his ‘Police 2030’ modernisation plan, at the centre of which is a new Command, Control and Communications Centre, known as C3. A police union says it is still unclear who will staff it.
The briefings, which began on October 9 with divisional directors and commanders, will run until the end of October. According to the schedule seen by Phileleftheros, they cover headquarters departments, operational units, district divisions and police cadets.
Command centre
The cabinet has approved the study for C3, Phileleftheros understands. Through the centre, police leadership will be able to monitor, in one place, information coming in from police stations and services, as well as footage from cameras, drones and helicopters. The positions of police vehicles will be shown on a map, and communication with the officers in charge will allow the data to be assessed and instructions issued.
Police have announced that work on the centre has begun. It is intended to coordinate stations, departments and services so that better operational decisions can be made, and to improve both the handling of incidents and communication with the public.
Nikos Loizides, chairman of the police branch of the Isotita union, said the staffing and training of the personnel who will assess information, manage incidents and coordinate operations is critical to how C3 works. It has not been specified how many officers will be needed or which services they will be drawn from, he said.
Loizides described the plan as particularly ambitious and said officers support it, but asked whether the police chief supports officers in their employment demands.
“Without the thousands of police officers, no 2030, 2040 or 2050 programme can be implemented,” he said. He called for agreement and consultation on working hours, danger money, pensions, early retirement and safety on duty.
The modernisation plan combines changes to how the police operate, how staff are managed and trained, and the technology they use. It includes upgrading and linking up information systems, stronger cybersecurity and new digital services. It also provides for more systematic use of intelligence and risk analysis to plan police action, setting operational priorities and allocating resources more effectively. The Organised Crime Directorate is part of the new model.
Briefing schedule
On Monday, Arnaoutis briefed 146 officers from the headquarters Traffic Department, 53 from the Technological Development Department, 32 from the IT Department, 45 from the Criminological Investigation Service (CSI), 15 from the Internal Affairs Service, 45 from the Finance Directorate and 77 from the European Union and International Police Cooperation Directorate. The same day, presentations were given to 203 officers from the Crime Combating Department, 143 from the Human Resources Directorate, 12 from the Strategy and Change Management Directorate and nine from the Professional Standards and Inspection Directorate.
On Tuesday, presentations were held at Nicosia police division, with 1,004 officers, and at the Aliens and Immigration Service, with 631.
The Airports Security Directorate, with 154 officers, and the Police Aviation Unit, with 48, follow on Wednesday. On Thursday, it is the turn of the Presidential Guard Unit with 111, the Anti-Drugs Unit (YKAN) with 201, the Intelligence Management and Analysis Service (YDAP) with 72 and the Rapid Response Motorised Unit (ARU) with 394.
Morphou police division, with 145 officers, is scheduled for Friday, October 16. Limassol police division, with 568, and the Port and Marine Police, with 266, follow on October 19.
On October 23, 39 Police Academy staff, 208 cadets and 163 officers serving in the districts will be briefed. On October 26, 67 ARU cadets and another 136 will follow.
The district briefings continue in Paphos on October 27, with 277 officers, and are due to end on October 30 in Larnaca, with 382, and Famagusta, with 242.
