Have the police clocked out?
Greece’s police force has “enormous potential, as long as it is used correctly,” a retired high-ranking officer of the Hellenic Police (ELAS) said on TV the other day. That “correct use” is what seems so elusive.
The revelations about a string of blatant oversights which led to the deadly hooligan violence in Athens on Monday were like a curtain being pulled open, exposing all the force’s weaknesses and failings. The government insists that the matter will be investigated in full and that more heads will roll. Is that enough? Is replacing a few people here and there sufficient to improve how ELAS works?
One thing we have learned from the recent events in Nea Filadelfia is that the police are unable to act automatically. In theory, any serious security threat (like the arrival of more than a hundred far-right hooligans in the country) should be met by a set response. A plan should always be in place to prevent bad things from happening. This did not happen here, and that suggests it has not happened in other cases too.
Citizens are constantly complaining about a lack of policing in the country’s streets and neighborhoods. Several initiatives have been tried over the years, such as foot and bicycle patrols, but have these systems ever been evaluated to see which works best? But recently, it has been looking like nothing is being done at all, like ELAS is on autopilot.
Public safety and security are hot-button issues and the present government is regarded as having the advantage over its rivals in this area and being heavily invested in it. But public safety is not a theoretical notion; it is something that is tested every single day. And the government’s performance so far is less than impressive.
