Neighborhood Police Office

For some time now, Law Enforcement Authorities in Cyprus have recognized that criminality among juveniles and drug-related offences are on the rise.  Additionally, it has been noted that public fear of crime has generated a distance from the Police, which, in effect, does not assist either in the prevention or the combating of crime.

The project included a pilot study, whose purpose was to evaluate the effect of the proximity of police officers in the community and its collaboration with local authorities.  The program was implemented in three areas of Cyprus (two urban and a rural one) with the involvement of three separate Districts.

29 Police officers with an average of 10 years service received training in communication skills, psychology, mediation, crisis management involving drugs, domestic violence, juvenile delinquency, etc.  Their duties included the cooperation with local authorities and other actors in the community, in order to eliminate acts/ behaviors that may potentially lead to criminality.  Most of their tasks involved assistance to the public, consultation, solving/ handling grievances with neighbors and complaints with local government authorities.  In addition to the above, the police were able to collect information concerning serious offences, regarding drug abuse and traffic offences.

The project has been running successfully since 2003.  It has now expanded quantitatively and qualitatively, with a remarkable success with the communities in the prevention and combating of crime, in general.  At the last expansion there were 75 police officers working as Neighborhood Police Officers, covering 25 Municipalities and 104 Communities, a total of population of 707687 people.

Contact:
Crime Prevention Office, Department C’, Police Headquarters, 1478 Nicosia
police@police.gov.cy

The project started in 2003 and is now finished.
Last review: October 2017.