Cuts taking toll on DIAS squad
Unveiled early last year as a decisive and rapid response to rising crime, the motorcycle-riding DIAS squad appears to be a victim of cutbacks that have left it patrolling half as many areas as in 2010.
When the squad, which is made up of pairs of specially trained policemen on motorcycles, went into operation in Attica it consisted of almost 2,000 officers. It now has about 1,250 as the remaining squad members have been transferred to various other departments to make up for shortages.
When the DIAS squad was launched, Attica was divide into 170 sectors, each of which was patrolled around the clock by four policemen on two motorbikes. However, DIAS only patrols about 90 of those sectors now, sources told Kathimerini.
A member of the squad that wished to remain anonymous said that this would double each unit?s response time. Some 1,200 cadets are set to join the police force early next year. Most are likely to be assigned to the DIAS squad.
