A Comparison of Attitudes to the Police Between Greek Cypriots and Ethnic Minorities Living in Cyprus

DOI10.1177/1057567709349158
Published date01 December 2009
AuthorJane Wood,Alexia Zalaf
Date01 December 2009
Subject MatterArticles
ICJ349158 381..399 Articles
International Criminal
Justice Review
Volume 19 Number 4
December 2009 381-399
# 2009 Georgia State University
A Comparison of Attitudes
Research Foundation, Inc.
10.1177/1057567709349158
to the Police Between Greek
http://icjr.sagepub.com
hosted at
Cypriots and Ethnic Minorities
http://online.sagepub.com
Living in Cyprus
Alexia Zalaf
University of Leicester, United Kingdom
Jane Wood
University of Kent at Canterbury, United Kingdom
The attitudes of 66 ethnic minorities and 152 Cypriots toward the police were examined
according to age, experience of criminal victimization, and race. Questions were based on
the British Crime Survey (BCS) and the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) and
were translated into Greek. Results showed low levels of experience of possession crime
and crime against the person in Cypriots and ethnic minorities, with no difference in these
experiences between the two groups. Attitudes to the police were predicted by age and
ethnicity with younger participants and Cypriots holding more negative attitudes than older
participants and ethnic minorities. Victimization experience did not predict attitudes. Some
victims of crime, who had not reported the crime to the police, stated that their reasons for
not doing so were because of their lack of trust in the police’s ability to do something about
the incident. Discussion centers on reasons why differences in attitudes toward the police
might exist and the implications of the findings for the Cypriot police force in terms of
public relations.
Keywords:
attitudes; police; ethnic minorities; Cyprus
This study examines attitudes of Greek Cypriots and ethnic minorities to the police in
Cyprus. The emphasis of this report is on Greek Cypriots as they are the majority eth-
nic group in Cyprus, and research of this kind has not been conducted in this small and col-
lectivist culture. Most ethnic minority immigrants are relatively new to the island and their
experiences with the police are not known. This research is important as it will provide data
on what the attitudes of the Cypriot population to the police are, thus increasing the level of
knowledge in this area and possibly inducing authority figures to act based on the informa-
tion provided to them. A brief overview of the experiences of ethnic minorities will also be
presented, which may act as a way for their concerns or experiences to be communicated to
authority figures. On a more general note, this research will provide the stepping stone for
Authors’ Note: Please address correspondence to Alexia Zalaf, 6 Alkistidos Street, Lakatamia, Nicosia 2314,
Cyprus; e-mail: alexiaz@gmail.com.
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International Criminal Justice Review
future researchers from collectivist cultures to carry out similar research and expand on the
issues presented here by improving on any limitations that may present themselves within
collectivist sample populations.
As of 2001, the population in Cyprus numbered approximately 790,000 people. Ethnic
minorities account for about 8% of the total population (approximately 66,000 people) and
Turkish Cypriots account for 11% (approximately 88,000 people). Illegal Turkish settlers
residing in the Turkish-occupied part of Cyprus are not included in the population count
(Statistical Service of Cyprus, 2008).
Cyprus gained its independence from the British in 1960 after years of tension and resis-
tance. Tensions continued to increase between the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriot
minorities until December 1963 when they culminated in a peak, resulting in the Turkish
Cypriot community being forced into enclaves throughout the island, despite the presence
of a United Nations (UN) peacekeeping force. Following an attempted coup in 1974 to take
control of Cyprus, Turkey organized a military intervention that resulted in the occupation
of about 30% of the island (Central Intelligence Agency, 2009). To this day, Nicosia is
divided in half and remains the only divided capital in Europe following the fall of the Ber-
lin Wall (Ministry of Finance, 2006a). In 1983, the ‘‘Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
(TRNC)’’ was declared and is recognized only by Turkey. To this day, the presence of the
‘‘TRNC’’ causes not only political conflict but also social unrest between the Greek
Cypriot, Turkish Cypriot, and Turkish settlers. Through the UN, both the Turkish and
Cypriot governments are in negotiations for unification, yet when the island entered the
European Union in 2004, the EU’s common rights and obligations would apply only to
areas under the Greek Cypriot government and are suspended in areas controlled by the
Turkish Cypriots. Turkish Cypriots who are eligible for citizenship of the Republic of
Cyprus can however have the same legal rights as all other European citizens (Central Intel-
ligence Agency, 2009).
It is argued that racism in Cyprus arises due to the ever-present conflict between Greek
Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. Furthermore, it can be argued that this conflict has shaped
and continues to shape the attitudes, practices, and intercultural communication of the
island as a whole. The media language and society in Cyprus, in general, can be character-
ized as lacking political correctness despite racism being commonly unacceptable and a
serious moral offence. However, the view is that racism is suffered primarily by the Greek
Cypriots due to their past treatment of the Turkish invaders during the 1974 war (Cyprus
Labour Institute, 2002). This is a view that shall be examined through examples of interac-
tion between the police and ethnic minorities in Cyprus.
Excluding the Turkish Cypriots and Turkish settlers, the largest occupational group
occupied by migrant workers is that of jobs at the lower end of the market in terms of pay
and status, such as industries, services, farming, and the cabaret industry. Such migrant
workers primarily come from Eastern Europe, South Eastern Asia, Middle East, and
Northern/Central Europe (Cyprus Labour Institute, 2002). Thus, it could be that ethnic
minorities with lower socioeconomic statuses may be more vulnerable to victimization.
The structure of the Cyprus police force is based on English laws due to the fact that
Cyprus was a British colony until it gained its independence in 1960. At the present time,
the mission of the Cyprus police is to maintain law and public order, prevent and detect
crime, and apprehend criminals. Due to the Turkish Cypriot situation and the geographical
position of Cyprus separating the Middle East and Europe, the police often have a wider
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383
range of duties and responsibility in terms of keeping the peace, both politically and cultu-
rally (Ministry of Finance, 2006b).
The State Department of the US government reports that there have been numerous inci-
dents of mistreatment at the hands of the police in Cyprus filed by ethnic minorities. The
press reported that five Egyptians arrested for being in Cyprus illegally were beaten by the
police and reportedly treated at the hospital for injuries. It was concluded however that no
crime had been committed on behalf of the police officers. Similarly, three Syrian immi-
grants who reported being beaten by the police were charged with resisting arrest and hin-
dering police officers from carrying out their duties and subsequently deported. The case
against the police officers involved in this case was once again dismissed (Bureau of
Democracy, 2008).
In a more publicized incident, police officers were caught on camera handcuffing and
beating two 27-year-old students of Greek Cypriot ethnicity. The authorities charged 11
officers with various offences including assault and torture. In the recent judgment to the
trial, all officers involved in this case were cleared of all charges, despite there being visual
evidence. The Attorney General has at the present moment filed an appeal to the court’s
decision (Bureau of Democracy, 2008). This indicates that victimization at the hands of the
police may in fact be an issue with Greek Cypriots also and not only ethnic minorities.
The press have also reported an incident in which a 15-year-old Cypriot girl of African
descent was beaten by another large group of schoolchildren. The father was turned away
three times when he attempted to file a report with the police, and no one was arrested in
relation to this crime despite there being witnesses. Authority figures strongly condemned
the attack and admitted that Cypriot children were still having difficulty accepting a multi-
cultural society. They stated that this case had strong elements of racism and aggression and
that these issues need to be addressed by political leaders and society overall (Bureau of
Democracy, 2008).
In response to the incidents mentioned above, the Independent Authority for the Inves-
tigation of Allegations and Complaints Against the Police (Authority) was formed in 2006
and is an institution independent from the police. Its purpose is to act objectively on behalf
of those who feel they have been treated unjustly by any member of the police force. The
Authority’s first report covered the period May 2006 until January 2007. During this time,
88 complaints were filed with the Authority. Seven of the total number of complaints came
from ethnic minorities and covered six incidents of abuse and one of unlawful arrest. One of
these cases was found to be false, one was still under investigation at the time of the pub-
lication of the report, and five were investigated...

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