Police and government ministries have rejected calls to pre-announce where mobile speed cameras will operate, warning the move would endanger operators and help criminals whilst potentially misleading drivers.
The Transport Ministry, Justice Ministry and police told a parliamentary transport committee they opposed a proposal requiring authorities to publish general areas where the island’s 20 mobile cameras and radar devices will be deployed.
Traffic director Charis Evripidou said camera locations change dynamically throughout the day, with three location changes recorded today alone. Changes occur due to roadworks, inability to find parking spaces and other on-site problems, he explained.
Each of the 20 island-wide mobile cameras operates eight hours daily and moves to four different locations during that time, Evripidou said. He warned that complaints from mobile camera vans have increased compared to fixed cameras because people haven’t learned to slow down, cautioning that relaxing the measure won’t produce desired results.
Authorities cited two main concerns. First, publishing locations could mislead citizens since the programme changes in real time. Second, operator safety is at risk given past attacks on mobile camera units.
A Transport Ministry representative said announcing locations would give a push to criminal elements. The ministry also flagged that publishing the programme would increase costs not covered by the contractor agreement. According to the Legal Service, such changes would raise the budget and create constitutionality issues.
Bar Association representative Christos Karras raised legal concerns about the photo-enforcement system. He said European countries including Germany, the UK, Netherlands, Spain and France apply the principle of “transparency yes, surprise no.”
There must be knowledge of what measures are taken to protect the public, and where enforcement exists it should be foreseeable not sudden, Karras said. The Bar Association recommended announcing general areas rather than exact points to favour good administration and proportionality.
DISY MP Nikos Georgiou, who sponsored the provision, said citizens view the photo-enforcement system as a trap. The aim is to strengthen transparency and the trust relationship between society and police, he added.
MPs expressed dissatisfaction with how authorities manage the system, accusing police of hiding and competent services of cultivating feelings of injustice.
“You’ve made citizens your enemies, you’re prosecuting pensioners and daily wage workers instead of real lawbreakers. You prioritise revenue collection and people feel you’re punishers,” Georgiou said.
DIKO MP Chrysanthos Savvides said the photo-enforcement system is problematic and sends a message of injustice. “I don’t embrace many of the arguments heard today. We’re reacting because both mobile cameras and police with radars are hiding,” he said.
AKEL MP Kostas Kosta said unemployed people, students and pensioners end up stepping on a line and paying €300. The law mandates sign placement but in most cases it’s not applied, he said, adding cameras aren’t placed at black spots where people are killed.
“We don’t want citizens to break the law, but we also don’t want to vote for laws that work against them,” Kosta said.
The committee confirmed that fine gradation, passed by parliament in July 2024, will finally take effect from 1 March 2026 following software upgrades costing the state an additional €1,153,000.
Transport Minister Alexis Vafeades announced after chairing a Road Safety Council meeting that a committee will be formed to evaluate the photo-enforcement system on the road network. The committee will study and assess all data from experience to date and return by March with recommendations, he said.
After two to three years of system operation, it’s a good time to evaluate what went well and what didn’t, Vafeades said, adding the committee will handle these issues and return with proposals on improvements, corrections and actions to adopt.
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