Justice Minister Costas Fytiris has declared a personal war on organised crime, corruption and extortion rings, unveiling a sweeping five-pillar plan that includes launching a Cypriot FBI, seizing criminal assets, building a new central prison, creating an independent coastguard and modernising the fire service.
“The country needs to rid itself of organised crime, corruption and extortion rings,” Fytiris told a press conference. “I am personally committed to cracking down on organised crime, following the law. If there are rotten apples, we want to remove them and we will. It takes patience, planning and programming.”
He warned that social media posts alone are not enough to trigger arrests and that police need solid evidence, proof and written testimonies before they can act. Operations against organised crime would be stepped up, he said, but authorities must work with “methodical approach, discretion and absolute legality” — the opposite of criminal networks that operate without rules and exploit every technological advance illegally.
“We cannot do the same unless we have laws for the use of that technology,” Fytiris said.
Cypriot FBI and police modernisation
The minister said a Cypriot FBI is at an advanced stage. “All that remains is the building, which is expected to be found within March so it can begin operations,” he said. He stressed that police must continuously reorganise because technology that is cutting-edge today can become obsolete if criminals acquire newer tools.
Asset confiscation
Parliament has already approved critical legislation and further regulations are expected to close institutional gaps, Fytiris said. “The legislation for prosecution with measures for recovery and confiscation of unjustified assets is an important weapon against organised crime,” he said.
New central prison
A new central prison meeting 21st-century standards will be built on 500,000 square metres of state land in central Cyprus, outside the urban area, with capacity for 1,250 inmates, the minister said. The facility will include closed, semi-open and open prison sections and use modernised technology and infrastructure aimed at reducing recidivism. He set a five-year horizon for delivery.
Independent coastguard
Fytiris said a Critical Infrastructure Protection Unit and an independent coastguard would be submitted to the Cabinet for approval. The coastguard will be separate from the police and equipped with modern surveillance technology covering the entire maritime zone from the coastline to the edge of Cyprus’s exclusive economic zone, he said. Its core will be the port police and the helicopter squadron, with cooperation from the Port Authority and Fisheries Department vessels. He cited maritime security and critical coastal infrastructure, including the Vasilikos energy centre, as driving factors.
Read more: