Throughout 2024, the Police Force will be conducting promotions and transfers against the backdrop of a series of dismissals in managerial positions, as part of an effort to reorganize the police force.
The most pressing issue currently preoccupying both the leadership and the Ministry of Justice is to resolve the matter concerning the deputy chief positions in the Police Force.
At the moment, all four positions in the organizational chart remain vacant since the appointments of those who held them have been revoked.
According to information from Phileleftheros, the reevaluation of the position previously held by Themistocles Arnaoutis, whose appointment was the first to be annulled, has been completed, and the proposal from the Chief of Police has already been submitted to the Minister of Justice.
Meanwhile, for the other three deputy chief positions that were simultaneously annulled (involving Christoforos Mavrommatis, Giannakis Georgiou, and Marios Christofides), the Evaluation Committee, established following the Attorney General’s consultation, has completed its work, and its recommendations have been submitted to the Chief of Police.
The committee consisted of Deputy Chief Dimitris Demetriou and two senior police officers.
The Chief of Police will submit his own recommendations to the Minister of Justice, who will have to justify his decisions regarding whom to appoint.
These appointments were made during the tenure of Justice Minister Ionas Nicolaou, and the court annulled them because similar criteria were not applied to all candidates.
Once the new appointments for deputy chiefs are made, the way will be clear for the reassessment of those whose promotions to lower ranks were annulled.
Currently, there are promotions for deputy police officers and senior deputy police officers that have been revoked, as well as for Police Constables B, hence the need for reassessments. When this task is completed, evaluations at all ranks will begin.
Meanwhile, vacancies in key positions in the Police Force are increasing due to dismissals and planned changes for better efficiency.
Recently, the director of the Professional Standards Department, Michalis Demetriou was dismissed, while a deputy director position remains vacant in the Larnaca Police Directorate.
Within 2024, capable and competent personnel, such as the director of Department G at Police Headquarters, Yiakouvos Ioannou, the Larnaca Police Director Christakis Papadopoulos, and the Morphou Police Director Yiannis Xanthou, will be dismissed.
This year, Christoforos Mavrommatis will also be dismissed, who until recently held the position of deputy chief before his appointment was annulled.
A position that has been vacant since last month concerns the Police Staff Association, as the replacement for the deputy superintendent and longtime spokesperson Stelios Sergides is being sought.
According to our information, Chief of Police Stelios Papatheodorou is reshuffling the deck to find suitable candidates for these positions, along with other changes aimed at improving efficiency.
Some considerations and approaches to individuals have been made, but evaluations of those whose promotions were annulled by the Court are expected to be completed first. If necessary, supplementary appointments may be made to fill vacancies in positions that require specific ranks, based on regulations.
