Short-circuited infrastructure

The story line is indicative of the failings of Greece’s troubled state mechanisms. After five years, four ministers and one renegotiation of the deal it signed in 2014 to procure its new digital communications system, the Greek Police (ELAS) has decided to switch back to its antiquated analog radios as primary devices.

The development also denotes the fact that the country’s crippling and protracted economic crisis cannot always be blamed for the shortcomings and discontinuities of the Greek state – something apparent in one of its most crucial services, law enforcement.

Even when the necessary (and expensive) infrastructure is available, administrative inadequacies and failings always manage to create a short circuit.