Truemors
After a series of police blunders which led to the death of a 60 year old bus driver in the Greek port city of Thessaloniki, six officers have been suspended from duty. The unfortunate driver was shot a point blank range by an escaped prisoner who had managed to abscond from custody and take with him a police revolver according to Skai News.
Dismay and anger over the role of the police in yesterday's debacle only grew as details of the case came to light over the course of the day. The prisoner, who had been arrested for theft and possesion of drugs was placed in the back of a patrol car in order to be taken from a police station in the Ayios Athanios neighbourhood to another station. However, officers neglected to handcuff the man who then grabbed a police revolver which had been left by one of the officers near the handbrake and then proceeded to take five people hostage.
Later, as for yet unknown reasons, the detainee boarded the number 53 bus and shot the driver. In a twist of fate that would be laughable in other circumstances the man then managed to steal another police car as they officers had left he keys in the ignition. The police arrested the man an hour and a half later after a gun fight in which he was injured.
The head of Greek police force, lieutenant general Vasilios Tsiatourashas has ordered an inquiry into the incidence . The under - secretary of the ministry of the Interior, called Panayiotis Xinofotis said that the officers;
"appear to show excessive negligance and deep carelessness in the execution of their duties."
However, the case serves to underline the chronic lack of effectiveness of Greek law enforcement. In a police study which was leaked to the NEA newspaper last September police chief, Ioannis Boutsikas admitted that they had a poor record in combatting crime. Despite a rise of 17% rise in bank robberies and 9.2 rise in burglaries and thefts in the greater Athens area senior police officers estimate that les than 10% of such cases are solved.
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