The indifference of the physical and political leadership of the Hellenic Police to the state of the police services in Epirus is denounced by the Epirus deputies of SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance with their question to the Minister of Citizen Protection.
The relatively understaffed and mostly aging services of ELAS in the four Police Directorates have not been substantially strengthened in recent years, not even through the process of transfers that take place twice a year.
The fact was denounced by the Unions of Police Officers of Epirus, but as it seems, on deaf ears… So with the process of announcing additional transfers of police officers for this year, we find that the additional transfers reach the “unrealistic” number of… nine (9) for all of Epirus (specifically three for Arta, two for Ioannina, two for Thesprotia and two for Preveza), while the impending retirements amount to, for example, 7 police officers in the Arta Police Department, while in the Police Ioannina Directorate to 110 police officers!
He shouts but is not heard
The president of the Union of Police Officers of the Prefecture of Ioannina, Anestis Konstantinidis, recalled in his statements that EAVI had addressed a document from mid-September to the Headquarters of ELAS and the political leadership of the body, informing the local community about the age problem… As he mentioned in according to Mr. Konstantinidis’ statements, the Ioannina Police Directorate does have a very satisfactory number of serving police officers, but 1/4 of its force, i.e. about 250 of the 1,060 serving in total, have established mature pension rights!
The Union asked then and demands today due to the great need that arises, to proceed gradually and starting with these transfers, the strengthening of the Police Directorate of Ioannina. Last year there were zero transfers in the local Directorate and this year 2… A drop in the ocean, that is, as Mr. Konstantinidis commented.
At the upcoming general assembly of the Union, the complete picture of the personnel, with age characteristics and with the services in which they serve as well as with the ultimate retirement date that they can remain in the corps, will be captured and presented. The Union is asking for the help of everyone, Regions, Municipalities and local MPs to raise the issue at the central level, as Greece is not only Athens, as the president emphasized.
Optimism about the new roof
Meanwhile, the Union of Police Officers of Ioannina expects developments at the beginning of the year from the newly elected municipal authority of the Municipality of Ioannina, on the matter of finding a new home for the services of the local Police. The issue of the construction of a new police station or the relocation of the Police services to a new building, is an issue that the Police Union had highlighted for a long time and began to fight, in cooperation with the outgoing municipal authority but also with the former Deputy Minister of Citizen Protection, L. Economou.
During the pre-election period in the meetings of the Union with the candidate Mayors, the issue was raised and the elected Mayor Thomas Begas showed that he prioritizes the issue of the new roof of the Police, with the first thought for the location of the new police station being the Velissario camp which, according to the prime minister’s commitment, will fall in its entirety to the Municipality of Ioanniton.
