With a long debate of about three hours on the migration problem facing Cyprus, the House of Representatives voted in favour of the law for the recruitment of 300 contracted special police officers to carry out auxiliary and supportive duties to deal with the migration flows.
24 MPs from DISY, DIKO, ELAM, EDEK of DIPA, one MP from the Movement of Ecologists and Independent Andreas Themistocleous voted in favour, against 12 AKEL MPs, while there was one abstention from the Movement of Ecologists.
The lengthy debate, during which several MPs from all parties spoke, prompted MPs to invoke the Parliament's rules on the conduct of debates in plenary and others to ask their colleagues to stop abusing plenary time and for action to be taken.
Specifically, the proposed law provides for the Chief of Police, with the approval of the relevant minister, to recruit special police officers into the police force on a fixed-term contract.
It also provides for relevant authority for the adoption by the Council of Ministers, with the prior advice of the Chief Minister, of regulations prescribing the recruitment procedure, qualifications required, duration of service, duties and any other details for the performance of the above-mentioned support functions of contracted special constables.
The power of the Council of Ministers to determine the remuneration, working hours, leave of absence and sick leave of the said police officers is also provided for.
Previously, the plenary session rejected an amendment by MP Aristos Damianou on behalf of the AKEL Parliamentary Group, according to which special contracted police officers will be allowed to carry anti-kidnapping equipment, but not armed, since they will be performing auxiliary and supportive tasks to deal with migratory flows and migration issues in general within the framework of police responsibilities.
In his statement, PPP - Cooperation MP Alekos Tryfonidis advocated the recruitment of the 300 police officers as one of the measures that could help prevent the flow of migrants. At the same time, he said that there are other measures that the government can take that it has been slow to take to help areas that are particularly affected such as Kokkinotrimithia, Paphos and Lakatamia. He also asked the Police to make proper use of these 300 special police officers to help effectively for the purpose for which they are hired.
The President of the Citizens' Ecological Co-operation Movement, Haralambos Theopeptou, said that everyone recognizes the problem that exists and that the Government has delayed too long to deal with it. He also expressed concern about the police officers that the Government is preparing to recruit, coupled with the Government's application for Schengen membership and the possibility of creating a "controlled border".
DIKO MP Panicos Leonidou said that the Government's measure is in the right direction, but it is still a half-measure as it does not address the whole problem comprehensively and comprehensively. He also expressed concern over the recruitment of people to patrol the green line which is not a border of the DR. He referred to a number of measures that could address the problem such as staffing a specialized department to intensify deportations, banning work permits for foreigners in agriculture and animal husbandry, and employing political asylum seekers. He proposed full employment of benefit recipients through voluntary work, work with contracting companies and learning the Greek language. He also said that DIKO has a proposal to set up a state ministry for immigration and asylum. He supported the bill and said recruitment should be done through transparent procedures.
EPP President Marinos Sizopoulos said the DR has a duty and obligation to provide the necessary services to political refugees. However, he said the illegal migrants are a form of hybrid war from Turkey to Cyprus and are mostly males aged 19-40 who in a few cases are accompanied by a wife and children. He added that as part of the crackdown a number of people are needed to deal with the situation. We are not against recruitment, he said, noting that the executive has a huge responsibility to proceed in a proper and transparent way in recruitment and there should be a very strict supervision control of these duties so that a number of people do not work in the opposite direction.
ELAM MP Sotiris Ioannou
said that the measure is a small solution to the biggest problem facing the DR today. He said ELAM had proposed the creation of a special police force, a suggestion that is being put into practice. He also said that political parties were putting up obstacles to prevent the law from going ahead and described the AKEL amendment as indefensible, af it sends people unarmed against intruders. He also said that they would not tolerate police officers turning into cabbies of illegal immigrants on their way to Pournara. He said that responsible ministries were gravely responsible for the immigration situation and called for the creation of a state ministry of immigration. He also said that the next elections should be judged on the basis of the immigration problem alone.
AKEL MP Aristos Damianou,[/B] said that the Interior Committee, after a comprehensive examination of the migration issue, concluded that there is no necessary coordination of ministries, departments, services and there is no integrated planning, while based on reports by international organisations there are human rights violations of migrants by the RoC. He called on the RoC to be more assertive in terms of European solidarity on the issue and to call for a revision of the Dublin Regulation which does not allow the RoC to forward migrants to other EU countries. He also criticised the ruling party's dismantling of the asylum service because, he said, some in the top ranks came from places other than the ruling party.
He also said that AKEL's proposal to staff the force with regular police officers had been rejected. He also expressed concern why the 300 would not be subjected to psychometric tests and the newly established procedures.
He also said the measure was a cherry on top and a fig leaf for the failure of the Anastasiades government to deal with the issue.
He called for the creation of appropriate temporary detention facilities and agreements with neighbouring states for legal returns. He expressed the view that this half-measure will not be effective and we will be on our toes in case there is a heated incident. One blast is needed and we will be crying over rubble, he said. He added that all this will be dealt with definitively and completely if we manage to claim the reunification of our country and our people.
DISY MP Nikos Georgiou[/B] referred to the multiple measures taken by the RoC to deal with the migration issue, measures that, he said, have endured and have brought results in the case of Greece. He welcomed the police recruitment measure which he said would have a positive effect, allowing for the recruitment without lengthy procedures of police officers in conjunction with others taken or being rolled out.
With regard to the AKEL amendment, he said it executes the institution itself in its very birth. Police officers, he said, should be armed ensuring their safety and instilling a sense of security as a real deterrent force. He further said that in the ceasefire line and smuggling and drug trafficking takes place and no one can know what this force can deal with.
He added that we should all of us, far from any oppositional electoral considerations, join forces to tackle the migration issue which is a national issue, testing the democratic, economic and social strength of the party.
Limassol MP Andreas Themistocleous said that where there is illegal immigration there cannot be a proper migration policy. He said that xenophobia, racism and nationalism are born with those who allow immigration. Whatever happens now, he said, it is too late because mistakes by certain governments have turned this country into an attractive subsidy destination. He suggested that Cyprus should follow what Spain did, namely accepting asylum applications from anywhere from those not in Spain, which it examined and rejected. He said that the measures taken are half measures He added that if the job of those who will be hired is to escort migrants it is better not to hire them. He said that he will vote for the bill believing that they will be properly trained to be able to use their weapons wisely and sparingly.
Source: CNA
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