Plans to reform the Cyprus police are on track with the force undergoing its first major revamp since the founding of the Republic in 1960, creating job opportunities for young scientists.
Justice Minister Ionas Nicolaou told the Financial Mirror that the restructure and reorganisation is to ensure the police are in a position to fulfil its duty to society. The transformation is to be completed by 2022, the timeframe set by the government.
Nicolaou said that this is the first holistic reorganization of the police since its establishment in 1960, which will see the force brought up to speed with the finest in the EU. The Justice Minister said he is determined to see the reform go ahead and said the President of the Republic showed a personal interest in modernizing the police.
He said that today more than ever, it is evident that the existing organizational structure of the police requires immediate, effective and structural interventions in order to cope with the contemporary demands to public safety.
“Any organization, wanting to remain alive, cannot afford stagnation or inactivity,” said Nicolaou.
“We are finally moving from words to action, after years of the reforms being put on hold due to political interventions from the parties,” he added.
Nicolaou revealed that previous reorganization plans had failed because "some people wanted the changes voted by the House to suit their own agenda".
Clarifying that he would not allow anyone's personal agenda to interfere with reforms he added that reorganization of the police will be supervised by experts from start to finish of the process, to ensure that changes and modernization of the force are done in their entirety and based on expert studies.
The Justice Minister said restructuring will be carried out after the completion of four separate studies for which the government has already made a call for tenders to private sector consulting firms.
“We have already received a show of interest from the world’s top consultants in the field and we expect the whole process to be concluded before summer.”
The four contracts for the purchase of services by private sector consultants regard different aspects of the reform. The organizational model, structure, training and placing officers at departments according to their capabilities and skills, and the fourth contract will be awarded to a partner who will monitor the whole reform process.
“We will transform the police into a living organization, which will constantly evolve according to the strategic goals, as well as the risk analysis that will be carried out at regular intervals.”
Moving forward, Nicolaou said that with the study and analysis of the risks, the police, in consultation with the Ministry, will be able to determine priorities according to the political priorities of the respective Government. Police will determine the necessary plans in its structure to meet strategic objectives and intermediate actions.
Promotion ladder
One of the things to change is the way police officers advance on the promotion ladder, aiming to establish a system of meritocracy within which officers will be motivated to give their best.
In a memo to the Financial Mirror, the police press office said that one of the changes already implemented is the abolishment of private interviews in an effort to rid the hiring process of any favouritism.
Nicolaou believes that one of the changes that should take place is the Justice Minister’s disengagement from the promotion procedures.
“This way the message that the political system is not interfering with the force’s duties will be sent. However, that will not be enough,” he added.
The reform will see the force being upgraded with the hiring of scientific personnel.
“With the times changing, there is a need for officers who are savvy with advances in cyber technology and crime, which in turn have brought about changes in financial crime,” said Nicolaou.
He said that while the police employees a number of specialists such as criminologists, analysts, psychologists and chemists, more specialists are to be employed by the force, creating opportunities for some of the country’s brightest young minds.
The police press office said the force currently employs non-uniform personnel recruited to carry out specific tasks, according to needs.
In rare cases, some civilian personnel joined the force after training at the Police Academy. He explained that this happened in order for the personnel to be able to advance their careers.
“However, this is one of the things we are looking to change. The studies will suggest a reorganization model which will allow civilian staff to advance without having to wear a uniform,” said Nicolaou.
“This will be the first time that the needs of the country’s police force are to be assessed with professional studies and advice from experts.”
Meanwhile, the police force has declared 200 openings for police officers, 56 of which are for the fire department and 30 are for special constables.
Candidates will undergo a written examination followed by a physical test, the dates of both to be announced soon.
Successful recruits will undergo a paid three-year training course at the police academy
According to current procedures, any academic qualifications held by applicants do not play any role as to which department they will be assigned, nor will it have any effect on how much they will be earning. Academic qualifications will only earn the holder priority points at the entry level.
Successful graduates will undergo a probation period of three years during which they will be paid in full.
Currently, the force employees 4,912 officers, of which 1,252 are women and 655 are firefighters.
