“Social issues such as the protection of minors, such as domestic violence, are not a purely police issue but in the end they end up at the” door “of the police for management and even under very difficult conditions,” said Citizen Protection Minister Michalis Chrysochi Juvenile, held at the General Secretariat for Communication and Information.

“These social issues require specialized management, continuous adaptation and strengthening of our policy tools,” Mr Chrysochoidis said, noting that in this context the ELAS In 2024 and the first four months of 2025 building a new operational philosophy of minors based on the following key axes:

– the patrols of mild policingespecially in places where there was a large concentration of children where there were episodes or incidents of violence and delinquency in the past. Throughout the Attica Basin, Thessaloniki and all over the country, police came into contact with more than 194,000 children and parents, as the Minister of Citizen Protection said, adding that these actions, in addition to prevention and awareness, have the nature of the disposal and/ or prevention. The presence of the police in these sites, as Mr Chrysochoidis noted, prevented incidents as well as incidents designed online and revealed that there were 1,489 arrests for theft or other offenses.

– Second axis was the creation of two new tools, one telephone – one Five -digit number 10201– and an application -The Safeyouth. These tools, as the Minister of Citizen Protection said, enabled citizens, parents and children to communicate easily, directly and from the point where there is an incident involving minors. In 10201, a 24 -hour, nationwide telephone line, which is supported by specialized staff of the Attica Protection Directorate, which manages each complaint accordingly. Safe Youth informs about the dangers and the potential of the protection provided by the Police, while our children enables us to have immediate demand for help with the push of a button, the Emergency Button.

– In each police address, a one was appointed Officer, responsible for coordinating all the protection actions of minorswho has received the appropriate training.

Subsequently, Mr. Chrysochoidis presented some statistics, noting that in 2024 we had 10,968 cases of delinquency and violence of minors, with 14,956 minor perpetrators, while in 2023 we had 7,789 cases with 10,150, so an increase of 40.81% and 43.80% respectively.

‘One of the most important issues, to me, and they are particularly critical to point out it was the assumptions neglect of supervision of minorsMr. Chrysochoidis noted, stating that from 1,242 in 2023 they were 2,163 in 2024.

At the same time, he stressed that policies practiced for minors are not just about minors, concerning a number of manifestations of violence and delinquency such as violence, fanatics, domestic. “We need to intensify our actions by utilizing all this framework set by the national strategy to prevent and tackle violence and juvenile delinquency, a deep social issue, so it needs a deep and extensive strategy that will respond to the problem,” the minister commented.

Finally, presented the actions concerning the Ministry of Citizen Protection and includes the national strategy.

These are:

– Development of local offenses prevention networks

– New application to collect and process statistics for violence and infringement of minors

– Design and implement training programs for front -line police officers

– Interpretal protocols and drivers for the management of minor victims and victims with the aim of avoiding secondary victims

– Development of internal regulations of operating stores for minors, utilizing international and European practices

– Improving conditions in existing and creating new structures for minors

– Management of minors in penitentiary stores, depending on their particular needs and strengthening the support grid

– Emphasis on the social reintegration of minors, making the most of the potential of the “RESPONS” organization, creating for example individual reintegration plans.