Minister tells police to avoid confrontation
Public Order Minister Vyron Polydoras told Greece’s police chiefs yesterday that officers should avoid direct confrontation with «so-called political protesters» because the force was not good at neutralizing such threats. «We should avoid head-on confrontations, unless we come under attack,» said Polydoras. «We are good at defending ourselves. We are not so good at prevention and neutralization. We will work on it.» The minister praised the police’s efforts in tackling common crime, speaking of «great successes» which had helped turn Greece into an «oasis of security» in Europe. Polydoras said he wanted the police presence on Greek islands to be strengthened for the summer. «You should watch out for crimes of stupidity, like the ones that go on in [the Rhodes resort of] Faliraki,» the minister told the heads of the police force.