The House Legal Affairs Committee is holding a closed-door session today to examine the rise of organised crime in Cyprus, triggered by the murder of football official Stavros Demosthenous in Limassol. The matter was added to the agenda as an emergency item, with MPs requesting a comprehensive update on the situation and on the measures authorities are taking. Justice and Public Order Minister Marios Hartsiotis and Police Chief Themistos Arnaoutis were called to brief the committee.
MPs call for stronger policing and prison controls
Speaking on Politis radio on Wednesday morning, committee members Fotini Tsiridou (DISY) and Andreas Pasiourtides (AKEL) stressed the need to reinforce the police, tighten checks and implement immediate measures in the Central Prisons. They warned that organised crime has grown bolder, with murders committed in broad daylight, heightening public anxiety.
Tsiridou said the discussion is behind closed doors due to pending criminal cases and to avoid compromising ongoing investigations. She highlighted the need for technological upgrades for the police, the disabling of mobile phones inside prisons, and the rollout of electronic monitoring for remand prisoners.
Pasiourtides said organised crime is changing form and that “many serious offences appear to be planned from inside the prisons.” He criticised delays in activating mobile-phone jamming systems and the failure to deliver on announced crackdowns, adding that “citizens do not feel safe and are asking for actions, not promises.”