Here at Ripes, we’re used to hunting for what’s wrong. Calling out the blunders. Exposing the failures. Taking to task those who wield power carelessly or incompetently. Not to criticise for the sake of it, but because exposing a problem is the first step to fixing it. Every so often, though, being consistent means giving credit where it’s due. Today, that credit goes to Costas Fytiris.
In his 11 months running the Justice and Public Order Ministry, he seems to have grasped that the police need far more than piecemeal tinkering and grand pronouncements. They need root-and-branch reform: modernising, better organisation, more operational clout. Above all, they need nerve and resolve in taking on organised crime.
The five major changes revealed by philenews yesterday, which he has put to the police associations and the force’s leadership, point in exactly that direction.
The package is wide-ranging. Promotions would be decided by written exams rather than oral interviews, shutting out political and party meddling on behalf of cronies. Training would be upgraded in partnership with the police officers’ academy in Greece. The Emergency Response Unit (ERU) would get regional branches. Recruitment would be overhauled, and officers would be insured in the line of duty. Together, these changes go to the heart of how the police work.
The plan for ERU branches in every town matters most. It makes no sense for a unit built to handle emergencies to have to set off from Nicosia whenever it’s needed in another district. In a crisis, minutes can make all the difference. A unit stationed across the island, free to carry out preventive patrols, could substantially boost public safety.
More significant still, the debate over reorganising the force isn’t just about administrative housekeeping. The Directorate for Combating Organised Crime (DAOE), originally billed as Cyprus’s FBI, now looks as though it has real teeth.
A few days ago, Operation Plegma, the product of a months-long investigation, led to 26 arrests and smashed the ring behind the 233-kilo drugs case. Nine suspects have been referred to the Criminal Court, and assets worth hundreds of thousands of euros have been confiscated as the proceeds of crime.
Then yesterday came Operation Aegis. It thwarted a crime a former convict was plotting and led to three arrests, with others still being sought. It all reinforces the sense that the fight against the underworld is, at long last, becoming more organised and better targeted.
And all this while the question of giving the DAOE more investigative firepower, including lawful interception of underworld figures’ calls under proper judicial safeguards, is still unresolved.
The parties should bear that in mind when they consider the surveillance bill, and leave partisan and pre-election point-scoring at the door. Effectiveness, of course, isn’t measured by arrest numbers alone. What counts is seeing investigations through, dismantling networks and bringing those responsible to justice.
Special mention must also go to an outstanding police officer, DAOE chief Christos Andreou, for the way he has run operations and pulled the new unit’s efforts together. The people on the front line deserve recognition. So do those who take it upon themselves to give them the tools for the job.
Before anyone jumps to conclusions, let us be clear: we don’t know Costas Fytiris or Christos Andreou personally. We have no reason whatsoever to do anyone any favours. This is about specific initiatives and specific results. Not personalities, and certainly not connections (and in this case, there are none).
Announcements must turn into action. The planned changes must be written into law, put into practice and judged on their results. Today’s praise for Fytiris is in no way a blank cheque. Nor does it mean we’re putting our criticism on hold indefinitely. Quite the opposite: we’ll be here to call out every slip and every retreat. But we also have a duty to recognise effort, planning and results where we see them.
Our job is to stand up to power when it’s called for, but also to look the truth in the eye. And today, the truth is this: Costas Fytiris is trying to shake up things that have sat stagnant and ineffective for years. Now for the follow-through…
