New developments in the murder of 49-year-old Stavros Demosthenos in Limassol were announced by the Chief of Police, Themistos Arnaoutis, during today's discussion of the Budget of the Ministry of Justice before the Parliamentary Finance Committee.
According to Mr. Arnaoutis, "it is clear that for the latest crime in Limassol, we already have eight arrests and more are expected", while he noted that "further actions will be taken".
Regarding the mobile phone, which was found in the possession of a suspect, who surprised the members who were responsible for guarding it, but also regarding the incident with the citizen who, while a visitor to the Central Prisons, was accidentally loaded into a Police cage, the Chief of Police stated that "administrative investigations have been ordered for both cases and when there are results, answers will be given".
For his part, the Minister of Justice, Marios Hartsiotis, spoke of two "serious" incidents, stressing that when responsibilities are identified "they will be punished in a strict manner".
"These phenomena," he said, "are unacceptable and must be dealt with with the utmost rigor."
High rate of solving serious crime
Earlier, presenting the figures on serious crime, the Minister of Justice said that by the end of September 2025, 4,096 cases of serious offenses had been registered, with a clearance rate of 77.78%, including drug cases.
As he noted, in the corresponding period of 2024, 3,891 cases had been registered, with a resolution rate of 81.29%, i.e. there was a 5.27% increase in the number of serious crimes, but a slight decrease in the effectiveness of detection.
"The cases of destruction of property with explosives, arson and thefts have the lowest detection rate," he added.
Advisor for technological issues in the Police
During the discussion, the Chief of Police referred to the problem facing the Corps with the technological upgrade, noting that he has already asked the Minister of Finance for an advisor on the issues in question, who responded positively.
He added that the competent Minister referred them to proceed with the purchase of services, since the public does not have competent persons for such matters.
