Paphos People

A POLICE sergeant has been suspended in Paphos following a complaint of theft made by a Sri Lankan woman.

The 35-year-old told police that following a visit by immigration officers, she discovered a large amount of cash had been stolen from her Paphos apartment.

She had been saving the money in a moneybox, which she says disappeared after immigration checks were made at her home. After searching the premises, she told police she discovered the moneybox lying on the roof of her apartment block, with the lock smashed and the money missing.

Chief of police Iacovos Papacosta has ordered the immediate suspension of the sergeant of Paphos immigration police responsible for overseeing the department and ensuring everything runs correctly.

The sergeant will remain on suspension until an officer, appointed by Papacosta, has completed his investigation.

Paphos police has been blighted by problems in the past, with accusations of poor policing and corrupt officers levelled against them.

New Paphos police chief Costas Soteriou has vowed to stamp out bad behaviour, and is determined to give Paphos a police force they can be proud of.

This latest accusation will go little way to helping Soteriou clean up Paphos’ poor policing image.

In the past 18 months Paphos officers have been accused of corruption, theft and involvement in the overnight disappearance of confiscated gambling machines from an evidence room in Paphos central police station.