NEW Police Chief Charalambos Koulentis stayed true to his promise of cleaning up the act of the island’s police officers, as the police force moved ahead with four dismissals in the past month alone.
On Friday, the police announced that the Force’s Disciplinary Court had found an officer guilty of very serious accusations and decided on his immediate dismissal.
The officer in question was facing charges of disobedience, oppressive behaviour, and absence without taking leave, delays in going on-duty and negligence.
The policeman had returned to Cyprus last January from a mission in Bosnia, where he was transferred by the previous Police Chief to Larnaca Airport without taking on his duties. He also has other charges against him, but due to his dismissal, it is unknown what course they will take.
A month ago, an officer was forced to resign after he was found guilty of indecently assaulting a non-Cypriot woman who was being held in a prison cell.
In a further two cases, special officers were forced into resignation after it emerged that one of them had leaked information concerning drug-related cases and the other had been caught with a small amount of narcotics in his car.
Another trial, which took place on Friday, saw a sergeant being accused of indecently assaulting a woman in a patrol car, in a car park outside the bar where she worked.
The alleged incident took place during the time when the police were in search of the masked rapist, the hooded villain who terrorised the women of Nicosia during the winter months and is yet to be caught.
The sergeant denies the charges, though the prosecution brought in three witnesses during the trial, one of which was the woman in question.
Another sergeant is facing serious charges for attacking his wife. The police are awaiting the outcome of the case and will act accordingly
At least something is being done.
