Govt to ‘review all procedures’ to ensure prisons’ safety

The government aims to create a protocol to review all the procedures regarding allowing prisoners on day release, Justice Minister Marios Hartsiotis said on Tuesday.

He said the aim of the move would be to “restore the feeling of security in the central prison”, alongside other measures to be taken to shore up the levels of security inside the prison.

In this regard, he said the government was also making moves aimed at amending the existing laws regarding prisons.

He also offered his support to the new police chief Themis Arnaoutis and deputy Panikos Stavrou, saying, “I am sure that the new leadership of the police, together with the government’s leadership, will give as much as possible with all our strength.”

He then called on the public to “not write off the police”.

Having also been issued instructions to sack the acting director of prisons Christos Philippides when President Nikos Christodoulides sacked the police’s leadership, he said the process of finding a replacement had been completed through the public service commission.

As such, he said, a new director would be in place from Wednesday.

Prison guards had protested Philippides’ sacking, gathering outside the central prison to demand he remain in post.

However, Hartsiotis said he was in “constant contact” with prison guards and their trade unions.

“From the very beginning yesterday, I had such discussions, and that is why they also suspended the planned protest [on Tuesday] they had in mind. We have agreed to meet in the next few days to discuss all the problems concerning prison guards in general,” he said.