Cyprus-Forum.com

[baby-come-fly-with-me]

http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/main.php?id=45901

If this is what the police are wasting their time with then I'm afraid we will all suffer.

Article reads: -

A BRITISH man who dropped off a friend at Paphos Airport was harassed and abused by police who accused him of operating as an unlicensed taxi driver, claimed a 43-year-old resident of Cyprus yesterday.

David Roach, a Paphos resident for the last seven years, had just dropped off the daughter of a friend at the airport at 1pm yesterday when a taxi driver accused him of operating illegal taxi rides to the airport all week.

“A taxi driver started shouting at me, accused me of coming every day this week. Before I knew it, two taxi drivers and around eight policemen surrounded me, claiming it was illegal to take people to the airport for money,” said Roach.

The unsuspecting motorist had attracted the interest of nearby taxi drivers and police officers when his ride handed him some money for petrol.

“I have been to the airport two times in the last six months. Once last Wednesday when I picked up my friend’s daughter, as he’s not very well at the moment, and today (yesterday) when I took her back to the airport.

“I was helping out a friend. The daughter innocently gave me some money for the petrol when I dropped her off. I didn’t ask her for it, but when she offered I said thank you. I won’t say no to petrol money,” said Roach.

However, according to the British national, this did not stick with the police who insisted on taking him down to the station for questioning.

“Eight cops and two taxi drivers all came up to me. The police superior was very abusive to me. I told him I’d done nothing wrong and was perfectly capable of getting in my car and driving off.

“They wanted me to go down to the station with them. I said if you’re not arresting me, then I don’t want to go. The man in charge threatened to take me anyway if I left.”

Eventually, the police let him go, but not before booking him for an expired road tax.

“They kept me there approximately 25-30 minutes. They took my details and address, and said it could go to court. If it does, I will make a right farce of it. I have a white two-door Pajero, it’s not exactly a commercial use car,” said Roach.

The 43-year-old questioned the heavy-handed tactics of the police, who refused to reveal their names. He added that the behaviour of the police and taxi drivers would not encourage people to return to the island, or to take taxis.

“Cyprus is low on tourism. Friends coming over to visit are a big part of tourism. Perfectly innocent people seeing this will say why should I come back. I certainty won’t take a taxi again. Everything I did was within my rights, it’s not illegal to take petrol money,” he said.

Asked whether he knew the taxi driver in question who made the accusations that led to the police intervention, he replied: “I’m an entertainer and this taxi driver has seen me sing my heart out in bars. I don’t know what made him think I was taking his business.”

I think someone needs to get a grip on this police force, and fast!

Christ almighty

Simply unreal..prooves their mentality

[cyprusgeoff]

The idiots on this forum who would rather leave the very poor policing in the Pafos area as it is have no idea of the heartbreak and misery of losing a child.

No, a 13 and 14 boy should not be out on a Saturday night at the time this tragic accident occurred much less on a stolen motorbike so I'm afraid that the parents are partly to blame in allowing their offspring to be out at that late hour.

But if we live in a society that turns a blind eye to these youths riding around on these machines underage without any supervision or guidance as to the risks and danger they put themselves and others in then it is the police that are greatly at fault.

All the schools in all the areas should be regularly visited by what most other countries in the civilised world call a community officer who can tell the pupils of the dangers and the penalties of this sort of foolhardy action on the roads.

Common sense and sensible policing must be the only way forward to avoid more senseless loss of life.

I wonder how the chief of Pafos police would be feeling now had one of the two dead boys been one of his.

In the vain hope that things will now change for the better concerning underage motorbike riders I'll leave you to ponder the chance that someone on this forum might, just might know the officer concerned and direct him to this forum so he can read for himself the low opinion we hold on him and his pafos policemen.

[Robin Hood]

You have posts here that show just how useless the police are in Cyprus. I am not advocating the sort of semi police state they have in the UK, but only Cypriots can force the issue of incompetent policing. Well meaning advice from non-Cypriot nationals is always seen as outside interference from foreigners. I said previously, don’t use the UK as an example in anything as it is a seriously OTT country in many ways, even the Brits are fed up with it, why do you think they are all coming here?

Today I was in Limassol General Hospital, there were more police hanging around with, seemingly, nothing to do than you would see inside a police station. They don’t go outside and book all the cars blocking the entry to A&E and blocking all the access roads inside the hospital grounds, so what do they do all day? OK, one or two around, just in case but, there must have been at least ten doing nothing but wander aimlessly around with radios at the ready.

The Police priority seems to be to wasting time with useless intervention, such as the incident at Paphos Airport, instead of dropping on REAL offenders from a great height. Again, just like the hospital, at the airports there seems to be a very high presence of police officers in proportion to their usefulness.

But, Cyprus is Cyprus and no doubt if someone with the authority to act actually tried to do anything, he would upset a few of the Cyprus ‘Royalty’, step on a few toes and either get himself fired or pipe bombed!

[Milo]

Being a Mum I feel ill when I hear young lives are lost like this BUT the youth of today in most countries sadly dice with death in many different ways, they push the boundaries much more than my generation would dare too, and I believe even IF the Police started fining them or making examples of one or two, showing graphic aftermaths tends to be the only shock tactics that work.

Remember the young of today tend to think being caught by the Police is a medal to wear proudly.

So I think shock em to what can and does happen and the parents of course. Some at least will value their lives after.

As for the incident at Paphos airport, thats nothing new Larnaca,s taxi drivers are a Police unto themselves, I very often go and stand and wait for friends and family to arrive they chat away to each other and watch me like a hawk just to see IF I actually know my arrivals.

One said one day "who are u picking up and where are they from?" I told him to go play with himself They don,t like anyone being there at all and even get in the way of arrivals trying to get out. Its a mess really and NOT what tourists wish to see when they arrive such chaos, but I,m sure this happens at many airports of this size worldwide.

They should stop charging such extortionate prices, list their prices so arrivals can see and maybe they then will become much much busier as it is they are currently fighting each other for business. Bunch of idiots.

As for the Police involvement I guess the truth maybe was,nt told thats probably why they arrived I don,t believe en masse Police would arrive at an International Airport for all to see just cause someone took petrol money off a friend would they?, cause of course that is,nt illegal. But there are unlicensed taxi,s around the taxi drivers will know who they are, thats the ones to stop of course.

What should be illegal though is the prices the taxi drivers charge.

[Svetlana]

I pass the spot where the accident occured every day; there has been a cross erected with flowers - families lives scarred for ever - so tragic.

Lana

[Brittania]

The idiots on this forum who would rather leave the very poor policing in the Pafos area as it is have no idea of the heartbreak and misery of losing a child.

No, a 13 and 14 boy should not be out on a Saturday night at the time this tragic accident occurred much less on a stolen motorbike so I'm afraid that the parents are partly to blame in allowing their offspring to be out at that late hour.

But if we live in a society that turns a blind eye to these youths riding around on these machines underage without any supervision or guidance as to the risks and danger they put themselves and others in then it is the police that are greatly at fault.

All the schools in all the areas should be regularly visited by what most other countries in the civilised world call a community officer who can tell the pupils of the dangers and the penalties of this sort of foolhardy action on the roads.

Common sense and sensible policing must be the only way forward to avoid more senseless loss of life.

I wonder how the chief of Pafos police would be feeling now had one of the two dead boys been one of his.

In the vain hope that things will now change for the better concerning underage motorbike riders I'll leave you to ponder the chance that someone on this forum might, just might know the officer concerned and direct him to this forum so he can read for himself the low opinion we hold on him and his pafos policemen.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7395875.stm

20 Teen stabbings in one year only in London.

[SSBubbles]

I pass the spot where the accident occured every day; there has been a cross erected with flowers - families lives scarred for ever - so tragic.
Lana

This is not a lone incident either - there are lots of flowers or crosses all over this island reminding us of likewise tragedies.
Sadly, you will find this sort of 'memorial' all around the world.

A sign of modern times?

[Paphos Childminder]

Another boy died yesterday night in a very similar accident he was called danny and 14 years of age, his friend is in inclusive care.

[Get Real!]

Another boy died yesterday night in a very similar accident he was called danny and 14 years of age, his friend is in inclusive care.

Intensive care?

[SSBubbles]

Another boy died yesterday night in a very similar accident he was called danny and 14 years of age, his friend is in inclusive care.

Intensive care?

NOT a laughing matter GR! Another terrible tragedy, may he rest in peace.

Can you give us any more information please "Paphos Childminder"?
Where, types of vehicles, any others hurt - a newspaper link etc.? Thanks.