Christodoulides heralds Cypriot FBI in fight against organised crime

President Nikos Christodoulides said on Sunday that the new directorate for combating organised crime, dubbed the ‘Cypriot FBI’, dramatically changes how the state will tackle serious crime. In a recorded message, he said the directorate is modelled on bodies such as Europol and the FBI. He described it as part of the government’s effort to build “a state that moves proactively, protects and responds”. Christodoulides said the organisation will bring the police’s main operational capabilities under one command and bolster cooperation with European and international police. The directorate begins full operations on Monday under Christos Andreou, with its primary focus on dismantling whole criminal networks and their finances rather than pursuing individual offenders. It has four sub-directorates covering intelligence and special operations, narcotics, organised crime investigations, and strategic analysis and international relations. Police say it has worked in practice for several months and that at least four of its cases are before the courts. Police Chief Themistos Arnaoutis has previously said police still lack a key tool, that being that Cyprus has no law allowing telephone interception, which he called “a weak point” in investigations. He said interception would need a court order approved by the attorney-general, with independent oversight. Justice Minister Costas Fitiris has proposed a constitutional change to Article 17 to widen access to communications data in serious crime cases. Andreou has said that about 85 per cent of the 731 most threatening criminal networks in Europe use legitimate businesses to carry out or hide their activity, citing a European assessment. The directorate itself has no building yet, with the justice ministry’s budget for next year allocating €4,842,500 to buy premises on Ifigeneias Street, near Nikis Avenue in Nicosia.