The new legislative framework for gun ownership will be announced on Thursday (20/11) from Crete by Michalis Chrysochoidis. The Minister of Citizen Protection speaking on Tuesday morning (18/11) on SKAI discussed the Vorizia case, crime, patrols in Roma settlements, and juvenile violence.
Chrysochoidis: “Society is not entirely criminal”
Initially, the minister, referring to the shocking incident that occurred in the morning in Thessaloniki, with a truck driver hitting a couple and abandoning them, as well as the incident with the new traffic accident in Neos Kosmos, said: “We need to look at ourselves in the mirror as a society as a whole with the savage behaviors that exist. What’s happening is incredible. Some say all this happened after Covid, but I don’t believe that’s it. Following developments over recent decades, we realize that beyond the pressure that everyday life itself exerts on people, which is difficult, especially in urban centers, everyone is ready to fight at the slightest provocation. In Neos Kosmos it’s incredible, it seems there was some argument. It’s something similar, but with a different version, to what we experienced in Crete. There are thousands of family disputes, do we need to draw guns? Something bad is happening and we need to look at it more comprehensively“.
He then referred to the massacre in Vorizia saying that “the police are there and will continue to be there more intensively from now on. Not just in the specific village. On Thursday I will be in Crete and we will announce the new legislative measures, the overall tightening of legislation and some new services that will be established. And at the same time investigations will begin to target families, groups (carrying weapons)“.
He continued saying that: “Society is not entirely criminal, criminals are a percentage. We must target, investigate, explore, solve and dismantle all these criminal groups. This is what we need and that’s where we’re going“, he emphasized.
“In Vorizia they are mafiosi, these are not honor crimes”
When asked whether these are criminal organizations in Vorizia or “honor crimes“, as Nikos Androulakis mentioned, Michalis Chrysochoidis said: “That’s not it, no, in this specific case these are criminal groups. They are mafiosi, who are confronting each other over who will dominate in cattle theft, who will take more fields illegally, who will distribute drugs, who will blackmail whom, how they will grab subsidies…“.
Regarding police action in the area, he mentioned that after the traffic incident in Chania “we changed the leadership. In Chania now it’s not only that they’re not locals, but the people’s mindset has changed and the behavior of the police has changed as well as that of the judicial authorities, the prosecutor’s offices, and finally order is beginning to be imposed“.
“We don’t have crime overall in Crete, but hotspots with serious crime”
He continued saying that: “There is a more comprehensive understanding of things, but not in everyone. It’s unfair to generalize. Crete has 8 million visitors, 600,000 residents, it didn’t have a single robbery this summer, not one theft. We don’t have crime overall, we have these hotspots which however have very serious crime. Some become very powerful at the expense of others. The police were there and are doing good work but now new services are being established, which don’t aim to go plow the villages but to investigate the criminal groups“.
“Scams are mainly carried out by Roma”
Regarding the dismantling of the large criminal organization with scams, the Minister of Citizen Protection mentioned that “this whole scam thing is a trend. And great caution is needed and the police are making an effort to inform citizens. It’s terrible that these scammers exist en masse, who are mainly Roma, from settlements who organize and then deceive elderly people or children. We all need to be careful and secondly, other such groups are in the crosshairs. They exist in certain settlements like Zevgolatio in Corinthia, they are champions. They are proper criminals. And how many more isolated incidents occur. But good work is being done“.
He added: “In certain settlements in western Attica, very many people are in prison. Because the activity of the services is very high. There have never been so many arrests and so many remands in custody by the police“. Regarding whether work is being done in Roma settlements, the minister noted that “from 3 days ago the police are here in Attica too. They are inside the settlements, patrolling, talking with people“.
The minister noted: “We have fortified all of Attica with personnel, with good services, everyone is arrested and remanded in custody because the law changed regarding pending cases and recidivism and so you go to prison when you’re a repeat offender, while until now we had 20 and 30 times repeat offenders and they were out. All this leads to other forms of crime“.
“Congratulations for the Polytechnic”
Regarding the draconian measures on the occasion of yesterday’s Polytechnic anniversary, Michalis Chrysochoidis said that “there was neither a pogrom, nor preventive detentions, except for very few, because many go loaded and it’s not a day to engage in these activities. I think everything was good, peaceful and deserves congratulations both to the demonstrators and the Authorities“.
On the conviction of Rouvikonas and juvenile violence
Regarding the conviction of Rouvikonas for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Minister of Citizen Protection mentioned that “this is important in the sense that they went there to tell us to our faces that they violate the law and don’t care about it. And in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. So smart was what they did. The law was applied. The police are there, there are no incidents, there are no disputes and logic will be applied“.
Regarding juvenile violence he commented that “think how difficult it is when police arrest a child. A delinquent child, 12-13 years old. How do you handle this child? For the incident in Peristeri, I did a small investigation myself. The children who participated in the beating, the little girls, it’s good to see the history of these children. It makes you cry. To see one of the parents’ criminal record. And there you cry. We need to look at children and how at young ages they won’t go astray“.
