Police ‘concerned’ by rise of attacks on delivery drivers

The police are “concerned” by the ongoing rise of attacks on delivery drivers in Limassol, they said on Tuesday, ahead of a high-level meeting over the matter on Wednesday.

Wednesday’s meeting will be attended by Justice Minister Marios Hartsiotis, Labour Minister Yiannis Panayiotou, and police chief Themistos Arnaoutis, with Limassol police spokesman Marinos Vasiliou saying a total of six cases have been reported by victims to the police in recent weeks, while a further two cases have been brought to the police’s attention but not formally reported.

He added that a total of 14 arrests have been made so far in connection with the most recent string of attacks and said it will “soon be clear” whether the attacks are linked.

“These cases took place in various areas, in Polemidia, in Ayios Athanasios, as well as in the city centre, while there is also an age range which at the moment seems to stretch from 15-year-olds to 36-year-olds,” he said.

He added that as yet, “we have no evidence that suggests a specific group is involved in all these cases, because there is no direct connection between them.”

To this end, he said further police investigations into the matter will make it “clear” whether the incidents are connected, but that “we cannot rule out that actions in one place are then being imitated by other people somewhere else.”

He went on to say that it had initially appeared that the attacks had been carried out with the aim of stealing the food being delivered by the drivers, and that wallets, money, and mobile phones were then stolen.

However, he said, with items now not being stolen from the drivers, “the motive behind these attacks is clearly racial, given that they are only launching these attacks to cause trouble without stealing anything.”

He said the incidents “certainly worry” the police, and that for this reason, police in the city have “taken measures and will take more to stop this phenomenon”.

These measures, he said, include increased patrols, the mapping of risk areas, and cooperation with local authorities, while the police also intend to “develop a network of local informants in places where young people gather”.

Vasiliou’s comments come after a delivery driver was attacked by four people in the early hours of Tuesday morning, suffering injuries to his head, pelvis, and back, and being hospitalised.

The attack comes a day after Marios Hartsiotis said he was “seriously concerned” by the frequent attacks on delivery drivers, while Limassol’s police chief Andreas Angelides said the attacks “are not tolerated”, and that all sides had resolved to “better coordinate” with the aim of clamping down on the phenomenon.

“These victims are hardworking individuals in Cyprus, simply trying to earn a living. This situation cannot continue. The police are taking measures,” Limassol police spokesperson Lefteris Kyriacou told public broadcaster CyBC earlier in the month.

Earlier in the summer, delivery drivers in Limassol staged a protest against what they called a “frightening surge” in violent attacks against them and even stopped deliveries.

Around 300 people joined the demonstration, with one telling the Cyprus Mail that “everyone is afraid to do their job”.