September 8, 2024

Athens News

News in English from Greece

Chrysochoidis: We Have a War on Organized Crime

A plan to create a joint security task force to fight organized crime has been in progress since May 2, the Attica Metropolitan District’s General Directorate of Police (GADA) said.

The prospect of an informal unification of services dealing with serious crimes was initially discussed at a meeting at the Ministry of Citizens’ Protection last week, after report Minister for the Protection of Citizens on Organized Crime in Greece. Change in the organizational structure of security and the prospect of creating what in the period 2013-2014. was called the “Greek FBI”, existed earlier in the plans of the leaders of the Greek police. However, the recent flurry of organized crime-related killings, such as the assassinations of Michalis Kapiris, Thassos Berdesis and Albanian Aristides Pope in Sepolia, have given the country’s political leaders a strong kick. At least that’s how it looks from the outside.

According to a knowledgeable police source, at this meeting at GADA, it was decided that one or two officers from the drug prosecution, crimes against life and property, and the prosecution of organized crime subdivisions would participate in the joint group. Police officers will also be provided by the Office of Information Analysis, Financial Police and Cybercrime. The unofficial task force will be headed by the head of the criminal police (security service in Greek terminology) Petros Tseferis. Its mission will be to collect and process information about the activities of the so-called “godfathers” and transfer it to the operational units of the Security Service. The aim is to avoid duplication between the competent services and at the same time improve the information network of the Greek police, incl. by studying the profiles of suspects on social networks.

At the same time, it was decided to continue control by the security forces in the places of “parties” of the criminal public. They began two weeks ago in parallel with the opening of restaurants and are expected to continue. In fact, for this reason, police officers from the Extortion Investigation Directorate have been relieved of “other duties” (as the EL.AS official has characteristically stated) and have participated in raids in areas where bandit groups operate. In fact, they are not limited to this. Police reports indicate that several key organized crime figures have been summoned to police stations over the past 24 hours to discuss recent events. “In the last two weeks alone, 65 bars and 25 ‘targeted’ nightclub inspections have been carried out,” Mr. Chrysochoidis said in his report of June 2

Increased patrolling

Finally, to restore a sense of security for citizens affected by recent events, police began more intensive patrols throughout the metropolitan area yesterday morning at 6:00 am. It is produced by a mixed group of rank-and-file police, first responders and OPKE in areas considered to be the most criminally prone.

Chrysochoidis: this is war, war against organized crime

“Greece has not suddenly become a country with reduced security for its citizens and tourists,” the minister notes and states: “We are constantly at the bottom of every relevant UN and European list by relevant indicators. The main danger from organized crime is not what it seems. As in the case of terrorism, as in the case of the Golden Dawn, the main danger comes from the invisible, and it concerns democracy. Organized crime has no ideological guidelines, but it has a lot of money and has long begun to legitimize it in business. If she comes into power, we start having problems with the real mafia, ”he emphasizes.

“With organized crime, do not hesitate, we will have a war. Not only the police will fight, but the whole society. The sooner we understand this, the sooner we will win, ”emphasizes the Minister of Citizens Protection.





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