One thousand one hundred and fifty reports and 901 arrests for cases of domestic violence were made during 2025 to date in the Thessaloniki region, according to statements by the Minister of Citizen Protection, Michalis Chrysochoidis, during his speech at the event “Together We Break the Silence: 13 Cities One Front Against Domestic Violence” in Thessaloniki. “Let us consider what this means: 900 arrests, 900 of our fellow citizens here were arrested and referred to the competent prosecutors and courts to be tried on charges of abusing women, children, and parents,” the minister noted.
At the same time, he expressed satisfaction as, he noted, the police in Thessaloniki “are carrying out an excellent mission in all areas of security, crime fighting, daily presence on the streets, and traffic regulation, allowing the city to breathe despite the flyover construction.”
Michalis Chrysochoidis: “The goal is change for the better and protection of the vulnerable first”
Specifically regarding the issue of domestic violence, he said that “the goal is change for the better and protection of the vulnerable first, who need defense from the rule of law.” “It is our responsibility, and it is our ongoing responsibility, through governing the country, to provide society, citizens, and victims with more and more tools, legislative and operational, every day to protect those at risk from violence,” he added.
Subsequently, inspired by the paintings of students from the 79th Elementary School of Thessaloniki displayed outside the hall where the event took place, the minister noted that this school is located in the area where Alkis Kampanos lived. “I was contemplating what drives people to violence. Think about it, a 20-year-old child lost his life for a reason that is zero, non-existent. And this child did not continue his life and his parents mourn. They will mourn for life. Right now, some young children are rotting in prison for their entire lives as well, and one wonders: ‘why all this?’. Why does this violence exist in our society, and we must respond to this phenomenon primarily at the family level, at the school level, and collectively as a society, and then respond through suppression mechanisms, through creating new legislative interventions.”
Michalis Chrysochoidis: “We have all the tools in our hands: legislation, operational tools”
Additionally, the Minister of Citizen Protection emphasized that the effort began two years ago, referred to the new White Tower department – one of three police stations that, as he noted, have an organized domestic violence office, while also discussing the issue of juvenile violence, which, he said, police stations handle in cooperation with the central staff unit for this matter. He noted that from the Prosecutor’s Office side, judicial management of children and minors is very difficult, and those responsible have great responsibility to not “traumatize” the child while simultaneously ensuring that a delinquent child gets on the right path. He made special reference to the great responsibility of parents or those responsible for child care, and there, as he emphasized, the legislation has been further tightened.
“We have, therefore, all the tools in our hands: legislation, operational tools. We have the panic button, which a woman can use at any moment, and in a few seconds a danger signal arrives, and in a few minutes a police force is near her. We have safe houses, meaning spaces that exist so that the woman, the victim, and her children can be hosted for a few hours, for a few days. There is, in other words, a comprehensive protection package with security for victims that can be used to provide them with safety today and prospects for tomorrow, that this fatal tragic event that traumatizes people both physically and mentally will not happen again,” Michalis Chrysochoidis noted characteristically.
“We are here to assure you that we will continue this excellent work we are doing in cooperation with local government and local communities, so that you can be and feel safe in a city that is so beautiful, constantly developing, and becoming increasingly joyful,” he added.
It is noted that the event, themed “Together We Break the Silence: 13 Cities One Front Against Domestic Violence,” is under the auspices of the President of the Republic, Konstantinos Tassoulas.
