The Public Security Police commenced on 14th December a National Operation: “Safety Holidays”. This has been formulated including initiatives to ensure greater police visibility, an increase of greater operational momentum and enhanced surveillance to detect criminal activity, which is more likely to happen this time of year. Alongside these actions, the PSP will exponentially increase the number of resources regarding traffic operations from 23rd and 27th December.
From the 14th to the 21st of December, compared to the same period of 2014, the PSP recorded, in its area of responsibility, a decrease of 29% and 40% with respect to violent/serious crime and overall crime respectively. Contributing to this decrease noticeably were thefts from residences, which decreased about 50%, and thefts in supermarkets and from vehicles which decreased both over 45%. Thefts by pickpockets, however increased by over 40%
Considering the operating results previously published, the PSP will continue to strengthen visibly, to protect the safety of all citizens, focusing in particular at places of higher turnout as a result of the planned schedule of holidays, celebrations and large clusters of people in city centres. This increase also considers the current context of European and global security which increased supplementary safety measures, particularly in terms of PSP visibility in places of most critical infrastructure.
As mentioned above the PSP will increase the visibility and operational commitment of its traffic policing at a national level, taking in to account the large flows of traffic that will occur outside the major cities in the coming hours, especially in the early hours of December 23 and returning on December 27. This strengthening aims to reduce drastically the risk of the type of driving which has resulted in five deaths since the beginning of the Operation, four 4 more than in the same period of 2014.
The PSP thanks and calls on all citizens to continue to follow safety advice in order to prevent crime in particular the dangers of drinking alcohol and driving, excessive speed and lack of devices safety.
We reinforce measures in the coming hours that if you are absent from your home during this period of Christmas, we provide free monitoring of your homes.
We wish happy holidays
PSP