GREEK POLICE FORCE

Evening Star, Issue 19855, 2 May 1928, Page 9

GREEK POLICE FORCE

HEADED BY BRITISHER SIR F. HALLIDAY RE-ENGAGED. Sir Frederick Halliday, the head of tho British Police Mission in Greece, has just signed his third three-year contract with the Athens Government for the reorganisation and direction of tho urban police of tho country, with special reference to towns like Athens, Piraeus, Patras, Saloniki, and Corfu. For the first time he has the promise of tho full and unpolitical co-operation of the Government. When he took bold in 1918, under the auspices of the Allies, bo found cities, like the provinces, “guarded” by a gendarmerie whoso members were constantly being transferred. They bad no patrol system and no very clear appreciation of law and order. In the towns they spent, their time in hotels and cabarets and only emerged when necessary to make an arrest or when ordered to quell a riot. Sir Frederick received the mandate to reorganise the entire system, both town and country, but so far he has not proceeded beyond the latter. At the beginning lie was greatly hampered by the influx of some 1,500,000 refugees from Asia Minor; then came the Pangalos dictatorship, which made him practically powerless to proceed—the officers he had so carefully brained were ordered back by the henchmen of the dictator. In January, 1926, Pangalos decreed the dismemberment of the town force by transferring to tho rural gendarmerie all duties concerning public order, detection, and prevention of crime, criminal investigation, and prosecution. Sir Frederick then took a holiday in England and France, and, after the faJ lof Pangalos, returned to Athens, and had to begin all oyer again. At first he was hampered in the old way. This was the situation when, on the eve of the expiration of his contract, he presented the Government with an ultimatum ; either he would go home or tho Towns Police Force would be allowed to resume its full activities, or with the alternative of an amalgamation with the rural police with headquarters in the principal towns. The Government declined to let him go, hut wanted time to think out his alternative. Meanwhile the Press is unanimous for a restoration of the Towns Police Force according to Sir Frederick’s original plan.