Citizens accuse cops of being overzealous

Police are investigating complaints from citizens who accused officers of being overzealous by asking to inspect rapid test documents over the weekend.

According to local media, a number of complaints have reached internal affairs at police headquarters, with reports saying officers were pulling over motorists and asking citizens to show their rapid test certificates.

Police spokesperson Christos Andreou did not rule out that officers might have asked a number of citizens to show the health documents, while emphasizing there were no such instructions to patrol officers to randomly ask to see rapid test certificates.

A report by Sigmalive said police could not pinpoint such cases where officers had documented that they asked to see rapid test results.

But according to Andreou, who spoke on state radio Monday morning, it could have been also possible that officers were acting properly in cases where citizens might have justified an outing on the basis of taking a rapid test and officers, who had a valid suspicion of a violation, simply asked them to prove it.

Over 400 people and three business owners including a coffee shop were fined over the weekend for breaching rules against the spread of COVID-19, including emergency restrictions on free movement.

Cypriot police investigate allegations after citizens cried foul over being stopped and asked to show rapid test proof