Public accusations erupted this morning in Parliament regarding the fact that victims of criminal acts are not receiving adequate security measures and are simultaneously being compensated with low wages.
A telling reference came from public prosecutor, Chryso Perganti, who was the recent victim of a bomb attack in Paphos.
She reported that after the explosion, she was bleeding, went to the hospital, and they removed glasses from her abdomen.
The psychological aftermath is enormous, she added, emphasizing that previously the Police had assessed such attacks as low-risk.
“We have reached a point,” Perganti stressed, “where organised crime is at its peak and we are walking barefoot on thorns.” That is the truth, she concluded.
During her statement before the Legal Committee, the public prosecutor, Xenia Xenofontos, stated that her 38 colleagues are required to handle a volume of 600-700 cases daily, risking their lives.
“I was the first victim of a bomb attack in 2016. I was turning off the Christmas tree lights and heading to my room. Suddenly, there was a noise; I thought it was lightning, and the whole house shook. The children woke up crying. Someone had placed a bomb at the entrance of my house,” she reported.
Attorney General George Savvides stated that the demands of the public prosecutors are justified, they stand by them, and a coordinating team has been established to address them.
Savvides said measures should be taken for their safety while also upgrading their scales.
He added that soon 15 more public prosecutor positions will be requested and distinguished the issue of the autonomy of the Legal Service from that of upgrading the scales of public prosecutors.
The proposer of the topic, MP Irene Charalambidou, mentioned that the measures taken by the Police to protect public prosecutors are ineffective and questioned who would risk their life for €2,500.
