32 new British Bases Police officers recruited

A total of 32 new recruits have completed their first week as British Bases Police constables after they took their official oath in Dhekelia.

The officers, a mixture of Greek and Turkish Cypriots, now begin an intensive two-year probationary period where they will be trained in every aspect of law enforcement.

Last week’s swearing-in ceremony marked the largest-ever single intake of new officers to the SBA Police, bucking the trend of dividing recruits into separate groups, with training commencing months apart.

Dhekelia Division’s Chief Inspector Marcos Petrou oversaw the challenging recruitment process and revealed that this latest tranche of officers had put the SBA Police in a great position.

“By recruiting 32 new officers, the SBA Police are now at full strength.

“We have lost officers in recent years through retirement, but we have now been able to replace them and look ahead to our future; this is great news”.

Recruit Christos Yerimos from Dherynia said he was looking forward to the challenge:

“There is a lot of excitement about becoming a police officer, but I know it is going to be challenging.

“I have always had the idea of being a police officer in the back of my mind because you get to meet and help people, and I already like the new working environment.

“The whole process to get here has taken almost a year, but now I have overcome all of the different stages; I am very excited to get started.”

Turkish Cypriot Gul Akgouchlou, who lives in Famagusta, was equally enthusiastic, said: “I am very excited to meet all of these new people.

“I am really looking forward to starting the job after almost one year of going through the recruitment process.

“I have studied hard and given it my all, and now I am finally here and ready to make a difference.”