Reduction of police protection for former officials in Cyprus

The Cypriot government has moved to reduce police security details assigned to former high-ranking officials. The decision affects former House Presidents Yiannakis Omirou and Marios Garoyian, as well as former Presidents Dimitris Christofias and George Vasiliou. Instead of a direct Council of Ministers decision, the responsibility for implementing these reductions has been assigned to the Minister of Justice, Marios Hartsiotis, who will rely on specific recommendations provided by the Cyprus Police.

This move comes as part of a broader effort to optimize state resources and personnel allocation. Concurrently, the government is addressing internal civil service reforms, including the potential abolition of interdepartmental promotions following requests from the civil service union, PASYDY. While these administrative changes are being processed, they reflect a wider shift in state policy toward reducing the footprint of state-provided security and adjusting bureaucratic procedures. The ongoing implementation of these measures will be governed by the specific guidance of police authorities to ensure security needs are balanced with the goal of fiscal and operational efficiency.