The fight against nepotism has a long way to go
ON March 1, parliament approved a law making nepotism a criminal offence punishable by imprisonment. With this law the government was attempting to make it clear that it wished to stop a practice that has been rife since independence in 1960.
A couple of weeks after the law was passed, President Glafcos Clerides launched a personal anti-nepotism drive, instructing all state and semi- government officials to report anyone approaching them for a favour to the police.
Clerides has also told Police Chief Andreas Angelides to brief him monthly on the number of officials reporting such attempts at interference.
What remains to be seen is how a police force, which is itself a bastion of favouritism used by politicians to promote personal and or party interests, can carry out such a task.
The force's ability to fight crime, let alone nepotism, is demonstrated daily by the marked increase in the number of unsolved bomb and arson attacks.
The competence of the chief of police can be judged by the public every time they see him on television.
As for his top staff, Deputy Chief Nathanael Papageorgiou and the two Assistant Chiefs, Andreas Stephanou and Yiannakis Philippou, did not even pass the exams for sergeant.
So if they did not meet the criteria to be sergeants, how did they become chiefs?
The best way for a fast and secure advancement in the Cyprus police force is “promotion by exemption”.
In one instance, on February 15, 1978, when Spyros Kyprianou was president (1977-88) 413 officers were promoted to sergeant. This is where today's leadership stems from.
It is true that Clerides has inherited this state of affairs, but in the eight years of his presidency he has done nothing to rid the force of the malady.
Instead, he has used the current situation to “take care of his own”.
The former chief of Clerides' security, Andreas Theophanous, joined the police force on October 20, 1961.
He served for eight years as a police officer until he was transferred to Clerides' guard. On November 14, 1969 he was promoted to sergeant.
Since then, and without serving anywhere else, or having any other duty, he has climbed through the ranks and retired as assistant chief of police.
His advance was very rapid after Clerides came to power in 1993. On March 4, 1994, he was promoted to Superintendent (B).
According to the regulations, two years had to pass before he could be eligible for another promotion. But on January 1, 1996, Theophanous was promoted to Superintendent (A).
Before his next two years were up, on September 1, 1997, he was promoted to Chief Superintendent, and then on August 1, 1999, he became assistant chief and subsequently retired.
Although two years is the minimum time an officer has to serve before being eligible for promotion this does not mean that all officers get promoted.
Several of Theophanous' colleagues, who joined the force at the same time he did, retired as plain officers.
The most blatant case of favouritism in the force involves the former chief of police, Andreas Potamaris. He joined the force on October 22, 1959. On November 15, 1969, he became a sergeant and was posted to the guard detail of the then President Makarios.
While at the palace he met Makarios' sister, Maria Hadjicleanthous, who christened his daughter who was given her godmother's name.
This relationship did not seem to harm Potamaris' career. On September 1, 1972, Potamaris was promoted to Inspector, a position he held for around five years.
On January 10, 1977, he became Chief Inspector and just two months later - on March 15, 1977, he was again promoted to Superintendent (B).
He is the only police officer to have been promoted twice in two months.
During Kyprianou's tenure, Potamaris became Superintendent (A) on March 1, 1980, Chief Superintendent on February 1, 1984, and Assistant Chief of Police on June 6, 1986.
The next President, George Vasiliou, appointed him Deputy Chief on January 1, 1991, and six months later Potamaris became the Chief of Police (June 14, 1991).
It should be noted that when Potamaris became a sergeant in 1969, one Joseph Athanassiou held the rank of Chief Inspector. Potamaris reached the rank of Chief of Police but when Athanassiou retired he was still a Chief Inspector.
President Clerides, after eight years in office, has done nothing to free the police from the politicians' grasp. Instead, he exhibits a feigned sensitivity for eradicating nepotism, introducing measures which will probably only afflict weak and sometimes naοve citizens who write to the president asking for his help.
Analysis by Makarios Drousiotis
Cyprus Mail
25/03/2001