Minister for Citizen Protection Takis Theodoriakos announced a series of measures and upgrades aiming at improving the efficiency of the Rapid Response Units, especially themotorcycle police units DIAS as well as in the operation of the Center of Command. The reforms come some ten days after a car chase in Perama suburb of Piraeus, where an 18-year-old Roma was killed in a shootout and the findings of an internal police investigation.
The Minister has reportedly given the Chief of Greek Police (ELAS) Michalis Karamalakis a deadline until the end of the week to have concluded the changes in the Rapid Response and have enhanced with with 20 news officers.
He added that pursuits of suspects will no longer be interrupted as it was in the Perama case and theft “by profession” should be declared a felony.
The seven officers involved in the incident are facing prosecution for premeditated murder. The officers claim that the driver of the car had homicidal intent and they acted in legal defense. In their initial testimonies, the officers said the car rammed all five police motorcycles.
Minister Theodorikakos reportedly appeared disappointed from the operation of the Rapid Response Units, so far, and acknowledged that the public is concerned about what happened in Perama.
“Public opinion is certainly concerned about what has happened, with orders given to end the persecution, with successive leaks of internal communications of Rapid Response Unit, with a lack of coordination,” Theodorikakos said.
He stressed, however, that “what happened at the level of judicial and disciplinary investigation of the case is absolutely provided by law in a country of the rule of law such as Greece, where the State must be the first to apply the laws.”
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