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[zan]

Experts from abroad to help with police reform
By Jacqueline Theodoulou
THE JUSTICE Minister and the Police Chief yesterday agreed that the police force was in need of radical reform and that experts would be brought in from abroad to help.

Minister Loucas Louca and the head of the police force, Iacovos Papacostas, discussed their plans to reform the force with the House Legal Affairs Committee, in a meeting that took place behind closed doors.

Following the session, Committee Chairman Ionas Nicolaou of DISY said the Minister and the Police Chief had jointly agreed there was a need to review the legal framework around the control and supervision of the police.

A parliamentary discussion on the matter, Nicolaou added, would begin in two weeks time.

According to the DISY deputy, Louca and Papacostas expressed their initial thoughts and views on the reform, and their immediate plans involve two basic actions: to bring experts from abroad to carry out a survey on how it could be done and then to, take immediate specific actions within the next ten days.

These actions were not made public for security reasons.

“The Committee’s main concern is to restore, reorganise and regain the police force’s prestige,” Nicolaou told reporters.

Minister Louca added: “Our aim is to combat these phenomena [of degradation and corruption] if and wherever they are spotted”.

And it’s not just police legislation that needs to be reviewed, according to the Minister, but the entire prison system.

The main point that was jointly spotted by Louca, Papacostas and deputies was that the law should be amended in a way that would force the Police Chief to answer to the Justice Minister.

Under current regulations the Chief answers to the Cabinet.

The Minister said he was the one responsible for the police force and it made sense that he was the one informed on what was going on, although he was keen to stress that the ministry should have no say in police operations.

Louca said that the large number of problems in the force had prompted his ministry to bring experts from abroad to carry out a survey on the best possible ways to go about the reform.

The escape of lifer Antonis Prokopiou Kita, who is better known as Al Capone, after he raped and butchered two women before dumping them in a rubbish tip, inevitably arose during yesterday’s discussions.

DIKO Deputy Nicolas Papadopoulos said the Kitas case brought to light the great weaknesses and shortcomings that existed in the police force.

“If there is one good thing to come out of the sad event of Kita’s escape it’s that these shortcomings will be dealt with,” said Papadopoulos.

“We will support these efforts to restore the police force’s prestige and sense of security in the public.”

Aristophanis Georgiou of AKEL expressed his satisfaction at the fact that serious moves were being made to upgrade the legal framework of the police.

He was also pleased that the Police Chief and Justice Minister were moving in a common direction.

“We will be observing the reform with our eyes wide open and we will support it as well as make our own suggestions,” said Georgiou.



Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2009

[DT.]

Experts from abroad to help with police reform
By Jacqueline Theodoulou
THE JUSTICE Minister and the Police Chief yesterday agreed that the police force was in need of radical reform and that experts would be brought in from abroad to help.

Minister Loucas Louca and the head of the police force, Iacovos Papacostas, discussed their plans to reform the force with the House Legal Affairs Committee, in a meeting that took place behind closed doors.

Following the session, Committee Chairman Ionas Nicolaou of DISY said the Minister and the Police Chief had jointly agreed there was a need to review the legal framework around the control and supervision of the police.

A parliamentary discussion on the matter, Nicolaou added, would begin in two weeks time.

According to the DISY deputy, Louca and Papacostas expressed their initial thoughts and views on the reform, and their immediate plans involve two basic actions: to bring experts from abroad to carry out a survey on how it could be done and then to, take immediate specific actions within the next ten days.

These actions were not made public for security reasons.

“The Committee’s main concern is to restore, reorganise and regain the police force’s prestige,” Nicolaou told reporters.

Minister Louca added: “Our aim is to combat these phenomena [of degradation and corruption] if and wherever they are spotted”.

And it’s not just police legislation that needs to be reviewed, according to the Minister, but the entire prison system.

The main point that was jointly spotted by Louca, Papacostas and deputies was that the law should be amended in a way that would force the Police Chief to answer to the Justice Minister.

Under current regulations the Chief answers to the Cabinet.

The Minister said he was the one responsible for the police force and it made sense that he was the one informed on what was going on, although he was keen to stress that the ministry should have no say in police operations.

Louca said that the large number of problems in the force had prompted his ministry to bring experts from abroad to carry out a survey on the best possible ways to go about the reform.

The escape of lifer Antonis Prokopiou Kita, who is better known as Al Capone, after he raped and butchered two women before dumping them in a rubbish tip, inevitably arose during yesterday’s discussions.

DIKO Deputy Nicolas Papadopoulos said the Kitas case brought to light the great weaknesses and shortcomings that existed in the police force.

“If there is one good thing to come out of the sad event of Kita’s escape it’s that these shortcomings will be dealt with,” said Papadopoulos.

“We will support these efforts to restore the police force’s prestige and sense of security in the public.”

Aristophanis Georgiou of AKEL expressed his satisfaction at the fact that serious moves were being made to upgrade the legal framework of the police.

He was also pleased that the Police Chief and Justice Minister were moving in a common direction.

“We will be observing the reform with our eyes wide open and we will support it as well as make our own suggestions,” said Georgiou.



Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2009

Your police murdered my father in law....where are the reforms for them? What experts have you brought over to correct them?