Larnaca, Cyprus. The risks of Wednesday’s raid on illegal migrants were fully assessed, but an element of unpredictability always remains, Larnaca police chief Ioannis Kapnoulas said on Thursday.
Police response
Kapnoulas was referring to the death of a foreign resident who jumped off a balcony in an apartment block during a police raid targeting illegal migration. He was rushed to Larnaca general hospital and intubated but died late on Wednesday from his injuries.
“All necessary measures are always taken, and the risk is assessed; however, there is always the element of the unpredictable. I don’t think anyone expects a person to suddenly decide to jump from the 4th or 5th floor, and I wonder how anyone could prevent such an act,” he said.
“The police do not enter apartments in order to avoid the worst-case scenario. However, every operation is evaluated afterward; we identify mistakes that led to failure and we identify best practices that led to success,” he said.
Operation details
Kapnoulas reiterated that Wednesday’s raid was part of a routine operation carried out together with the aliens and immigration service.
“Usually the alien and migration services (YAM) operate in plain clothes. However, to minimise the risks, they also had uniformed police officers with them, who wore their badges around their necks,” he said.
He said that the operation had begun around 9am on Wednesday, with various premises and apartment buildings being checked and 19 people were arrested.
The police later in the day went to the Filanta apartment complex, located near the port, where the incident occurred.
“At the sight of the police and in order to avoid the check, three people jumped, according to our information, from the 4th or 5th floor and were taken to Larnaca general hospital,” he said.
Previous complaints
He said that the Filanta apartment complex had previously attracted the attention of the local authorities due to several complaints and allegations by locals of the ghettoisation of foreigners.