CYPRUS

Capital:	Nicosia
Population:	754,064
Government type:	Republic
Location;:	Middle East, island in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Turkey
Area:	Total 9,250 km² (of which 3,355 km² are in the Turkish Cypriot area)
Land boundaries:	none
Ethnic groups:	Greek (78% - 99.5% of the Greeks live in the Greek Cypriot area; 0.5% of the Greeks live in the Turkish Cypriot area), Turkish (18% - 1.3% of the Turks live in the Greek Cypriot area; 98.7% of the Turks live in the Turkish Cypriot area), other (4%)
Religions:	Greek Orthodox (78%), Muslim (18%), Maronite, Armenian Apostolic, and other (4%)
Languages:	Greek, Turkish, English

Government

The government consists of a president, elected for a 5-year term by universal suffrage, and a Council of Ministers. The House of Representatives exercises legislative power. It is elected by universal suffrage for 5-year terms, and consists of 80 members, of whom 56 were elected by the Greek community and 24 by the Turkish community. As from December 1963 the Turkish members have ceased to attend.

The administration of justice is exercised by a separate and independent judiciary. There is a Supreme Court, Assize Courts and District Courts.

Economy

Economic affairs are dominated by the division of the country into the southern (Greek) area controlled by the Cyprus government and the northern Turkish Cypriot-administered area. The Greek Cypriot economy is prosperous but highly susceptible to external shocks. Erratic growth rates in the 1990s reflect the economy’s vulnerability to swings in tourist arrivals, caused by political instability on the island and fluctuations in economic conditions in Western Europe. Economic policy in the south is focused on meeting the criteria for admission to the EU. As in the Turkish sector, water shortage is a growing problem, and several desalination plants are planned. The Turkish Cypriot economy has about one-fifth the population and one-third the per capita GDP of the south. Because it is recognised only by Turkey, it has had much difficulty arranging foreign financing, and foreign firms have hesitated to invest here. The economy remains heavily dependent on agriculture and government service, which together employ about half of the work force. Moreover, the small, vulnerable economy has suffered because the Turkish lira is legal tender. To compensate for the economy’s weakness, Turkey provides direct and indirect aid to nearly every sector, e.g. tourism, education, and industry.

Police

In Cyprus there is only one Police Force which comes under the administrative control of the Ministry of Justice and Public Order. The main tasks of the Police, as prescribed by the Police Law, are the maintenance of law and order, the preservation of peace, the prevention of crime and the apprehension and bringing to justice of offenders.

Police operations at Police Headquarters are grouped into four principal functions, i.e. : Administration, Operations, Training and Support Services. The remaining administrative and functional set-up of the police are:

the Force Headquarters, comprising the six departments, i.e. Administration and Personnel (Dept. A), Traffic and Transport (Dept. B), Criminal Investigation, including Prosecution (Dept. C), Scientific and Technical Support (Dept. D), Research and Development Dept., and Training Dept.
six police divisions;
the Fire Service, which is a separate Divisional command with island-wide responsibility in its special field of operation;
the Units, i.e. the Central Information Service, the Police Academy, the Aliens and Immigration Unit, the Mobile Immediate Action Unit, the Presidential Guard Unit, the Drug Law Enforcement Unit and the Port and Marine Police.

Department 'A'
Comprises the Personnel Buildings, Welfare, Stores, Accounts, Control Room, Security and Informations Office and the Police Band.

Department 'B'
The Department is responsible for the Traffic and Transport branches which operate at Divisional levels and are directly controlled by Divisional Commanders under the overall guidance and supervision of Department 'B'.The Department is also responsible for highway patrols which emanate from Police Headquarters and have an island-wide responsibility to prevent accidents, report dangerous driving offences, render assistance to the motoring public and generally keep watch on the roads. Divisional traffic branches, which specialise in traffic control and the investigation of accidents, are under divisional command but close liaison between divisions and Force Headquarters is maintained through Department 'B'. This Department comprises the Map Room and Accidents Statistics, Transport Office, Traffic Offences, Record Office, Highway Patrols, Motor Transport, Driving School and Force Workshop.

Department 'C'
Undertakes the investigation and detection of serious crime. In each police division there are CID branches which are under the direct command and control of the Divisional Police Commander but an overall co-ordination and supervision is exercised by Department 'C'. The latter comprises the Criminal Statistics, the Criminal Records Office, the Identification Bureau (Fingerprints, Photography, Forensic Science, Graphology), the Central Firearms Registry, the Prosecution Branch, the CID Operations, the Dog Section, the Bomb Disposal Unit, the Crime Intelligence Section and the National Central Bureau of Interpol.

Department 'D'
Is responsible for Telecommunications and the Scientific and Technical Support Services of the Cyprus Police. Comprises of the Workshop, Telecommunication Dept., Police Air Wing and Radar System. Gives also scientific and Technical support and supervises the operation of Navigable system and other technical appliances.

Research and Development Department
Located at Headquarters, this department is responsible for conducting researches and studies in several matters concerning the Police, for the introduction of new methods and techniques and for the computerization of the Police.

Training Department
Responsible for the training of members of the Service. Also supervises the Police Academy.

The Central Information Service
This is a unit with its Headquarters in Nicosia and Branches in all Police Divisions. It is the official body entrusted with the task of collecting, evaluating and disseminating intelligence that effects the security of the Republic.

The Mobile Immediate Action Unit
Deals with organised acts of violence, which tend to disturb lawful orders and renders assistance to the public in major disasters such as air crashes, floods, earthquakes, etc.

The Presidential Guard Unit
Is responsible for the security of the President and the Presidential Palace.

Aliens and Immigration Unit
Is responsible for the control of entry and exit points and the registration of aliens.

Drug Law Enforcement Unit
Deals with the problems of Drug trafficking/consuming.

Port and Marine Unit
Responsible for patrolling the territorial waters of Cyprus, the prevention of drug trafficking and other forms of contraband, the unlawful entry into Cyprus, the security of Ports and the enforcement of Maritime Law.

Fire Service
This is a separate Department of the Police Force and is responsible for the extinction of fires and prevention all over Cyprus.

Each Divisional Command maintains a Divisional Headquarters, normally housed in the main town fire station or other town or suburban stations, a number of rural stations and substations controlling a group of villages or defined areas. A number of police posts are also established where special circumstances demand it.