Police union says majority of officers assigned to unrelated tasks
More than half of the officers in the Greek Police’s rapid-response squads DIAS and OPKE are being used to guard targets of anti-establishment groups and vandals – such as politicians’ offices and metro stations – rather than working out on the streets cracking down on serious crimes.
In a written complaint filed on Friday, the Union of the Hellenic Police’s Special Guards (SEFEAA) estimated that more than 50 percent of DIAS and OPKE officers are assigned to duties unrelated to their mandate during regular weekdays, with this percentage climbing to 80 percent on the weekends because of sports events.
“The few forces that remain for the protection of defenseless citizens need to be returned to that job,” the union said in its complaint, highlighting cutbacks in recent years that are stretching the corps’ resources.