THE Minister of Citizen Protection, Mr. Yiannis Oikonomoumet on Tuesday (19/09), at the Ministry, with Mayor of Athens, Mr. Kostas Bakoyannis.

The focus of the meeting was the cooperation between the Ministry of Citizen Protection and the Municipality of Athens to strengthen policing in the neighborhoods of the capital and to optimize road safety.

The Minister emphasized that the policing in Athens is being strengthened and will soon be more direct and effective, with the sole focus of the safety of the city’s residents.

Mr. Economou referred to the decision of the Prime Minister, Mr. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, in his speech at the International Exhibition of Thessaloniki, to release police officers from other duties, in order to be where they are needed, in the streets and neighborhoods of the cities and especially of the Municipality of Athens.

The action will be complemented by the use of surveillance and cameras to make policing more meaningful.

The Minister of Citizen Protection, Mr. Yiannis Oikonomou, stated after the meeting:

“As for every Greek citizen, so for the residents of the Municipality of Athens, their safety is a priority for us. As a priority it is to do everything in our power, in the field of our responsibilities, so that they have the best quality of life in their movement, in life in the city.

With the Mayor of Athens, we discussed how we can continue what we have achieved in the past, in terms of security, and how we can correct, where there are steps we need to take forward, in order to be even more efficient and effective .

It is our decision to strengthen the policing in Athens, so that the residents in the neighborhoods understand in the immediate future that the surveillance will be more intense, more substantial.

Following the Prime Minister’s order to release forces from other agencies, we will channel forces – men and women of the Hellenic Police – into the neighborhoods of Athens, in the field, on patrols, so that we have even more effective policing. We will supplement this action in the next period with surveillance means, with cameras, which will expand the possibility to observe both for security reasons and for traffic policing reasons.

And at the level of the Traffic Police we will continue with an even more intensive pace in the program that has started two weeks ago for surveillance in key points of the city, to deal with violations of the Code of Conduct that are dangerous for human life, but also which create irresponsible behaviors, which lead to centers of suffering for citizens. In the violation of the traffic light, the use of the helmet, mainly in the great scourge of occupying illegal parking spaces, either by double parking on central road arteries, or by illegal parking in general.

I asked the Mayor of Athens to have a very close collaboration and in this area in the next period, to indicate to us, from his experience, streets and areas where we must deal more systematically with these behaviors

We are here to join forces, to consolidate an even greater sense of security, thus enhancing the quality of life for the people who live, work, visit and move in our capital city.” For his part, the Mayor of Athens repeated his proposal for community policing, pointed out the need for strengthening policing in the center and neighborhoods of Athens, while he focused, once again, on the problem of drugs and traffic management in the capital.

The Mayor of Athens, Mr. Costas Bakoyannis, said: “I would like to warmly thank my friend the Minister, because today we are taking an important step forward in achieving the common goal, which is none other than strengthening the sense of security in the neighborhoods, but also in the center of Athens. I am optimistic that we will soon achieve the major, the neighborhood policeman. To the extent of its responsibilities and its own powers, the Municipality of Athens assists – and will do so even more actively – in the work of the women and men of the Hellenic Police who are on the streets day and night and perform a difficult and dangerous task. Security and legality are building blocks of our functioning social symbiosis. I am sure that our good cooperation will bring results”.