Our View: Fighting organised crime requires modern tools

Attempts by the Cyprus police to have legislation that would allow telecommunication interception date back to the last century. The Clerides government had also drafted legislation that would allow wiretapping and telecommunication interception – the main argument being that this would provide a tool for combating organised crime – but the legislature failed to give its approval. All subsequent governments have unsuccessfully tried to secure the approval of such legislation. This did not mean that Cyprus was a country free of telecommunication interceptions by the authorities. The secret service Kyp had the power to set up wire taps for reasons of ‘national security’ and these telecommunication interceptions often targeted members of organised crime (as well as opposition politicians). Kyp answers directly to the president and is accountable to nobody else which means it could pretty much intercept anyone’s telecommunication. The only drawback to the method resorted to by the authorities over the years was that an incriminating telephone conversation could not be used as evidence in court because it was illegally secured. The need to legalise telecommunication interception was brought up again on Wednesday when the chief of police Themistos Arnaoutis announced the creation of the Directorate for Combating Organised Crime, that start operations on Monday. The new directorate, dubbed Cyprus FBI, according to its head Christos Andreou, will focus on intelligence gathering which is now vital for cracking down on organised crime that nowadays operate like legitimate businesses. The criminal environment facing police today was significantly different from that of 15 years ago, said Andreou, as it now exploits technology and legitimate business structures. Hence the need for more intelligence gathering and data analysis. Whether the officers at Cyprus’ FBI will have the skills and know-how to make the most of the information they gather remains to be seen. But the bill must be approved first, although the political parties do not seem very keen to approve it. The bill was submitted to the previous parliament, the chief of police, the attorney general and ministers answered questions at the relevant House committee, but it has still not been forwarded to the plenum. Why are our deputies so reluctant to approve this legislation, which exists in all European countries and is an effective tool in the police battle against organised crime? Are Cypriot deputies so sensitive about safeguarding privacy rights that they would rather protect members of organised crime groups than approve the bill on the interception of telecommunications? This opposition is unjustified and indefensible, considering the bill at the legislature has all the necessary safeguards. The police would need to secure a court order from a judge, with the approval of the attorney-general before intercepting communications; there would also be an independent body overseeing the process. There are no excuses for the parties carrying on blocking the legislation.