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New police plan for Exarchia in effect as of today

Featured New police plan for Exarchia in effect as of today

Police are entering a new era of keeping order in the much maligned area of ​​Exarchia in downtown Athens.

The MAT riot squads leave six vast areas of Exarchia and will be replaced by pedestrian patrols andscooters, drones, and patrol dogs.

According to a new plan by the Greek Police to combat crime in the area, only two MAT squads will remain. The first will remainby PASOK's offices in Harilaou Trikoupi street and the second at the Ministry of Culture & Sports. The plan essentially foresees the "fragmentation" of Exarchia in six areas, depending on the incidents recorded in them.

The big problem in Exarchia - Robbery, theft and drugs

From the mapping of Exarchia there is a large area where systematic thefts, robberies, and drug trafficking are systematically recorded. This area which the Authorities are expected to pay particular attention to is encompassed, inter alia, by the streets of Tsamadou, Zaimi, Methoni, Derveni, Valtetsiou, Arachovis, and Stournari.

Initially three pedestrian patrols of four officers each will be available, and another two on board scooters that will run parallel to the mapped routes. A total of 30 police officers will patrol on foot and scooter patrols, and about 100 in all per day. Initially, the 'timetable' of implementation of the new action plan will be from 09:00 to 23:00, and in the long run it will be extended to 24 hours.

These patrols will be assisted by rapd reaction teams and the new "Action" team, which will intervene in cases of emergencies and attacks on patrols.

Essentially, what ELAS wants to achieve through its new plans is to replace the cumbersome squads of MAT, as it was judged by their "heavy" presence they created tension, while malfunctioning in cases of prosecution, suspicion and arrest of perpetrators. It is noted that the new police plan includes both the Attica Traffic Department and the Attica Aliens Directorate!