Government mulling creation of transport police for Attica, says minister
The conservative government is mulling the establishment of a dedicated police force for public transport in the greater Athens region, Transport Minister Kostas A. Karamanlis has said.
Speaking on Skai radio on Friday, Karamanlis said that the objective of the new force would be to assist and ensure the safety and security of the traveling public throughout Attica’s public transport networks.
He said that the plan has already been discussed with Citizens’ Protection Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis. The new force would come into being by the end of the year, he added.
The conservative minister was speaking a day after an Athens prosecutor ordered a preliminary investigation into the vicious assault on Wednesday afternoon on a metro stationmaster by two commuters who refused his request to wear a mask.
The station manager was punched and kicked repeatedly by the two men at Omonia station. The victim was hospitalized with serious injuries.
Police said Thursday it was a “matter of time” before they track down and arrest the two passengers as sources said their faces were recorded by the metro’s CCTV cameras.
Karamanlis on Friday confirmed police were close to identifying the suspects.
