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Cyprus CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
Incidence of Crime
Somewhat paradoxically, in light of the violence of the
nation's past, statistics of the Republic of Cyprus
pointed to a
crime rate that was lower (6.44 crimes per 1,000
inhabitants) than
the rate for most West European countries. The low
incidence of
crime among Cypriot nationals was accounted for by the
closeness of
family ties, the emphasis on upholding the family's honor
and
reputation, and the social pressures for education and
achievement.
According to statistics submitted to the International
Criminal
Police Organization (INTERPOL) for the year 1988, various
forms of
theft constituted by far the largest number of serious
offenses
(2,592). Only fourteen murders, eighteen sex offenses, and
seventy-seven serious assaults were recorded. There were
528 cases
of fraud and 48 drug offenses. Juveniles accounted for
13.6 percent
of thefts and women for 6.7 percent. Corresponding data on
crime in
the Turkish Cypriot-administered north were not available.
The domestic use of illegal drugs was low compared with
the
situation elsewhere in the eastern Mediterranean and
Europe,
although the minister of the interior testified in
Parliament in
October 1989 that the problem was growing. Cyprus was not
a source
of narcotics but was an important brokering center for
narcotics
traffickers, especially those from Lebanon and Turkey.
Traffickers
met in Cyprus, forwarded shipments of heroin and cannabis
through
the island's container transshipment facilities, and used
Cypriot
air links to transship currency and bullion to and from
Europe.
Narcotics laws were rigidly enforced, and draft
legislation to
provide stricter penalties for possession and trafficking
in
illegal drugs was under discussion in early 1990. Cypriot
police
cooperated closely with law enforcement authorities in
neighboring
countries, resulting in significant seizures and arrests.
There
were, however, no direct working relations with Turkish
Cypriot
enforcement authorities or with Turkey. According to
Turkish
sources, northern Cyprus had also become a transit point
for drugs,
and there were indications of major drug-processing
activities.
In 1989 a total of 134 arrests were recorded by the
Republic of
Cyprus for drug offenses; 72 were of Cypriot nationals and
62 of
foreigners. The number of arrests had mounted steadily
since 1986,
when 26 Cypriots and 29 foreigners were arrested.
Data as of January 1991
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