CYPRUS: Police have no guideline on how to handle missing persons

Cyprus’ new Police Chief has revealed that the force has no protocol to follow in cases of missing persons after a confessed serial killer murdered seven victims who were reported disappeared.

Addressing MPs in parliament, Police Chief Kypros Michaelides said his force is currently working on preparing a protocol so that officers will be aware of how to handle missing person cases.

He also said that special teams will be set up to investigate these cases, which will then be checked by the domestic violence division.

Michaelides asked parliament to provide the force with the legal tools to facilitate investigating missing persons cases, such as access to the telecommunication data.

Michaelides shared with MPS a complaint he received from a member of the Filipino community who reported that on average five women from the Philippines are being harassed by their employers, but the majority do not report the incidents as they are afraid of losing their jobs.

Authorities have acknowledged that all seven foreign women and girls that the army officer has admitted to killing were reported missing to police, except the one from Nepal who was reported to immigration for being absent from her place of employment.