Police to explain laws in foreign languages

Law enforcement authorities say they have been planning to issue public service announcements in multiple languages that would explain certain laws of the Republic, following the latest slain of a young man in downtown Nicosia.

Police spokesperson Christos Andreou, who spoke on a news programme on Monday, said investigators were still unsure about the motives that led to a fight in downtown Nicosia on Sunday night, when a 21-year-old Indian male was killed and two others injured.

“We are trying to find out the reasons behind the attack and the circumstances under which it took place,” Andreou said, adding that nothing had been ruled out.

A group of 15 foreign nationals were involved in a fight Sunday night near Ledras street, a popular downtown hangout spot, where three men were attacked by men holding knifes and wooden sticks with police still in the dark about any possible motives including possible murder.

“It seems that people of certain nationalities resolve their disputes in such a way,” Andreou said.

According to the spokesperson, police authorities have been working on a public service informational campaign since last week, in order to explain certain laws in different languages.

“We are trying to issue an informational bulletin in different languages to inform foreign nationals, in a way, about what is allowed and what is not allowed in the Republic of Cyprus,” the spokesperson said.

Andreou went on to say that certain punishable offences in the Republic of Cyprus, such as carrying a knife, may not be a crime in some countries.

The spokesperson clarified that other measures were being assessed regarding the area downtown in Nicosia, including a revision of the hours as well as locations for nighttime patrols in the area.

Previously, nighttime police patrols had been taking place from 10:30pm until morning hours, but the launch of the measure never fully took off due to the coronavirus restrictions and subsequent lockdown earlier this year.

In response to criticism that the town centre had become a symbol of a “police state” on the island, Andreou told a news programme that law enforcement had also been criticised in the past for not having a bigger presence on the streets downtown.

One male suspect has been arrested in Sunday's incident while two others are still wanted by police.