Public’s continuing mistrust of police
Why has there been so much public suspicion against the Greek police? From the very first day of the hunt for the Russian fugitive, everyone was sure that he would not be brought in alive. After all, it is virtually an unwritten rule in all police forces that the murder of a policeman can only be avenged with the blood of his killer. Despite this, public mistrust is deeper and dates back to an era when the police worked alongside despotic regimes and were their chief agent for civil persecution, using illegal force and coercion. But this was years ago; it has been three decades since the restoration of democracy. The police force has since been renewed under the supervision of successive governments. I am not overlooking the frequent instances of police arbitrariness and violence, particularly toward minority groups, such as immigrants. Nevertheless, all those familiar with the police in days past know that we are far better off with the current force. So, why the current public mistrust? The case of the Russian inmate, alleged to have killed two policemen and later himself, was complicated by the chief of police himself, who rushed to announce the fugitive’s suicide instead of allowing the coroner to do her job. Moreover, it is somewhat provocative to characterize as a success a mission that produced two killings, a suicide and a string of oversights.
