The Cyprus Police reported two incidents of arson and malicious damage to two schools in Nicosia during this year’s Easter season. The police stated that two fires caused “unpleasant” incidents, but the measures taken worked satisfactorily.

Marina Christodoulidou, a member of the press office of the Police Headquarters, informed “SPORT FM 95.0” and the program “NEWS DIASPORA” that there were three minor injuries this year. A 56-year-old bystander received a burn on his shoulder and a ruptured eardrum from the firing of flares, a 9-year-old boy received a superficial wound to the eye, and a police officer was burned on the trachea and bruised on the shoulder from throwing flares when called to an incident with the lighting of a fire and throwing firecrackers.

The police also reported that they seized 415,000 types of pyrotechnics, including 413,000 firecrackers, which they considered a success. Christodoulidou noted that there is always room for improvement, and feedback and evaluation will be conducted to determine if additional measures or corrective actions are necessary for the coming years.

Regarding the lighting of lampratzies, Christodoulidou stated that a draft bill has been prepared under the instructions of the Chief of the Force. This bill aims to establish a framework with terms and conditions for the lighting of the lampratzies. It was forwarded to the Ministry of Justice at the end of the previous year for consultation with all the agencies involved. Once completed, it will be forwarded to the Council of Ministers for further action. The provisions of the bill include licensing procedures for lighting lamps, penalties, and assigning responsibilities to other authorities.