Protocols not followed in woman’s murder

The commander of the Agioi Anargyroi Police Department in northern Athens that received a complaint by a woman who was being threatened by her former partner and subsequently murdered on Monday night, and the 100 emergency dispatch operator whom she called asking for a police escort to her home were both suspended on Wednesday.

According to reports, 28-year-old Kyriaki Griva had remained for eight minutes inside the Agioi Anargyroi police station before she exited and was fatally stabbed by her former partner, right next to the precinct. “The police car is not a taxi,” the emergency dispatch operator told her when she had requested a police escort, shortly before the 39-year-old attacker appeared and pounced on her. 

The call center operator is now the subject of a police investigation and faces criminal and administrative charges.

In August 2021, a guide with instructions for police response to incidents of domestic violence was distributed internally throughout Greece. It explicitly states that going to a police station is one of the most common ways of making a complaint, but does not include any protocol for the safe transport of citizens to their homes. Some issues appear to be left informally to the discretion of police officers.

Based on what is known so far, the instructions included in the guide were ignored on Monday night. 

The guide clarifies that domestic violence is prosecuted ex officio, and that a complaint or even a simple report is sufficient for the provisions of the law to apply. It is stressed that “all the competent police services have the obligation to act immediately.”

However, both the duty officer and the emergency center operator focused on whether or not Griva filed a complaint, without this negating the actions to be taken regarding the management of the incident.

The guide also clarifies that stalking is an offense, and that permanent or former partners were also included in the context of domestic violence.

In the case of Griva, the duty officer was informed of the stalking of the victim but also of his abusive history, including rape.

Among the actions envisaged for duty officers is to issue a signal to the relevant police agencies and in the event of cases such as Griva’s, they must notify the emergency call center. However, it was the victim and not the police officer who called the emergency center on Monday night.