Residents want private police
A number of municipalities in and around Athens are examining the possibility of hiring private security guards to police their streets after a spate of recent much-publicized crimes across the country has raised safety concerns among residents. Mayors told Kathimerini yesterday that they are coming under increasing pressure to do whatever it takes to improve security in their areas. «The policing is insufficient and people feel unsafe. Local authorities cannot remain indifferent to this. We conducted a study to hand over the guarding of the council area to a private company,» said Iordanis Loizos, mayor of Nea Makri in northeast Attica. News bulletins in the past few days have featured detailed reports of robberies and break-ins across Greece where assailants kidnapped or beat victims before robbing them. Senior police sources said on Wednesday that crime rates have not risen and blamed over-the-top TV news bulletins for the increase in fears over neighborhood safety. Public Order Minister Vyron Polydoras said earlier this week that crime rates have even declined recently. Mayors warned residents that the cost of putting together their own security staff will be passed on. «People are insisting on this (setting up a municipal police force) even if it means that we increase taxes,» said Theofrastos Economides, mayor of Filothei in northern Athens. Security companies are the winners in the race to address heightened safety concerns and are reporting monthly growth rates of 1,000 percent. Vassilis Balomenos, whose company sells security doors, has been receiving a total of around 1,000 phone calls per day from residents who want to increase security at their homes.
