Police detained six men on Crete yesterday in connection to November’s ambush of officers in the mountainous village of Zoniana and indicated they have gathered enough evidence to take the suspects to trial.

Police said the six men, who have not yet been charged, have been directly linked to the attack via the fingerprints found on the weapons used in the shooting.

They are each being kept in separate cells and are being questioned one at a time, a police source said.

Of the six detained, police believe that two suspects directly took part in the ambush that resulted in the serious injury of an officer.

Another two of the men detained also had less of a role in the incident, the source added.

Police have remanded in custody a total of 12 suspects and are expected to charge them with weapons and drug trafficking and forming a criminal gang.

The roundup of the suspects ends months of intensive investigations as authorities scoured a lawless area that suffered from a compete lack of police presence.

Investigations also targeted local law enforcement officers who had apparently been turning a blind eye to the alleged crimes.

Separately, Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos said yesterday that he intends to present a plan in the next 10 days that will help police improve the services they provide over the 2008 to 2010 period.

“Modern technology needs to be used to meet, prevent and stop crime, while always respecting human rights,” he said.

Police have come under criticism for failing to tame crime rates in city areas, as data showed that robberies of homes last year rose by 10,000 to 58,472 compared to the previous year.

According to Pavlopoulos, his ministry will target over the next three years drug dealers, organized crime and terrorism, road safety and crime rates.

“Our goal is to stamp out crime generally, particularly that which has a larger impact on the community,” added the minister.