POLICE arrested two men yesterday, one of whom was a police officer, after members of the UN force in Cyprus UNFICYP reported that two men were hunting illegally in the buffer zone near Kambos and were involved in a bust up with UN officers.

After a line-up for identification at a Cypriot police station, the police officer was released without any charge, as the UNFICYP officers did not identify him as taking part in the bust-up or the hunting.

The other suspect, a 22-year-old hunter, was officially charged and released until his case appears in court.

According to the police report, two UNFICYP officers from Argentina spotted two Greek-Cypriots hunting illegally in the buffer zone. 

Despite being told to leave, the hunters refused. When the UNFICYP officers started taking pictures of them for evidence, the hunters allegedly attacked them and broke their camera, stealing the camera’s memory card in the process. The hunters were subsequently able to flee the scene.

The UNFICYP officers took note of three cars that were in the area at the time and reported them to the Cyprus police. Four men were called in to the police station, two of whom were arrested.

“The UNFICYP officers recognised the 22-year-old as one of the two hunters who attacked them, while the other two suspects who were called in were also thought to have been with him” said police deputy spokeswoman, Nikoletta Tyrimou.

Tyrimou said that there were no testimonies about the two suspects and thus no charges could be made, while the fourth suspect, who was a police officer, seems to have been in the area by accident.

Nonetheless, reports say that Police Chief, Michalis Papageorgiou has already instructed an internal investigation to clarify the role of the police officer in the incident.

UNFICYP spokesman, Michel Bonnardeaux said that people hunting illegally in the buffer zone was an annual occurrence during the hunting season but stressed that this was both dangerous and illegal.

In an UNFICYP statement released on Thursday, the UN reminded the public that the safety of the hunters in combat fatigues was a risk within the cease-fire zone since soldiers on duty could not immediately determine where shots came from.

Bonnardeaux said that he felt confident that there would no repeat of the incident, since UNFICYP had clear procedures of how to deal with it issue. 

Meanwhile, the Game Fund has confiscated over 600 killed birds from two restaurants and seven houses in the Kakopetria district, while over 85 limesticks were also found. 

Among the dead birds found, there were over 12 different kinds, some of which are regarded as very rare. Four people were officially charged by the police and subsequently released.

Cyprus Mail