In a detailed post outlining the changes in the structure of the Hellenic Police following the passage of Law 5187 by Parliament, the Minister of Citizen Protection, Michalis Chrisochoidis, has made a detailed post.

The aim, as Chrisochoidis says, is “to create a Police Force that does not run behind developments, but plans and plans, using all modern capabilities and available means.”

Presenting the changes concerning the new structure at the Headquarters, the new Directorates and Departments in the Executive Services and the Special Security Services, the Minister of Citizen Protection stresses that “the Police of the coming decades is being created, which does not follow developments, but plans by anticipating the future and the evolution of crime” as “the Police Headquarters acquires a modern and flexible structure, which enhances good governance and decision making” and “the Greek Police becomes smart and efficient, utilizing research, technology tools and data analysis”.

Full post by Michalis Chrisochoidis

Good morning,

In this post I will focus on Law 5187 which was passed last Thursday in Parliament and will be a catalyst for the reform of internal security and the shaping of the Greek Police for the coming decades.

Three weeks of public consultation, four meetings of the relevant Parliamentary Committees, a hearing of twenty stakeholders and fifteen hours of debate in the Plenary gave us the opportunity to describe the new Police and the necessity of this change.

Before I address the key changes in the Act, I want to make two points.

– The first is the fact that police reform is an ongoing process because it is linked to ever-changing security and the need to protect against many different threats. Important reforms, for example, are the framework for preventing and dealing with domestic violence and the establishment of the Directorate for the Fight against Organised Crime to combat serious and organised crime, and we will continue in this direction.

– The second point is the positive approach to the Law by the Independent Authorities and agencies. I mention, for example, the positive recommendation and opinion of the Ombudsman on the new Directorate of Ethics and Internal Control and the National Human Rights Commission on the establishment of the Directorate of Social Policing.

– The law has five main pillars:

– Reorganization of the Headquarters and the Staff Services of the Hellenic Police.

– Upgrading of the Police Academy – New educational policy.

– Regulation of Issues concerning Weapons, Ammunition, Explosives, Explosive Devices.

– Establishment of the General Secretariat for the Protection of Critical Entities.

– Modernisation of the Institution of Electronic Surveillance of Sentenced Persons, Convicts and Prisoners on Licence – Regulation of Issues under the Competence of the General Secretariat for Anticrime Policy.

In this post I will only refer to the issue of the Greek Police.

What do we want to achieve?

To create a Police Force that does not run behind the developments, but plans and plans, utilizing all modern capabilities and available means.

Here is a summary of the key changes and innovations:

1. A new structure at the HQ of the Hellenic Police. Branches are transformed into General Directorates (French model of organization)

a) General Directorate of Staff Coordination,

b) Directorate General of Security and Policing,

c) Directorate-General for Border Management and Immigration,

d) Directorate-General for Human Resources Management

e) Directorate-General for Support.

The Hellenic Police acquires two Deputy Chiefs: a) Operational and b) Staff.

A new General Directorate is created with responsibility for strategic planning, organization, communication and extroversion.

The Security and Law Enforcement Branches are merged into the General Directorate of Security and Policing.

The Unified Operations and Crisis Management Coordination Center is strengthened and upgraded to the Operations and Crisis Management Directorate.

2. New Directorates and Departments in the Staff Services:

– Directorate of Strategic Planning

– Division of Statistical Data Analysis in the Directorate of Public Security

– Communications and Networks Directorate

– Social Policing Directorate

– Directorate of Ethics and Internal Control

– Privacy Office

– Restructuring of the Directorate for International Police Cooperation along the lines of EUROPOL

– The Directorate of Information Technology is transformed into the Directorate of Information Systems and Digital Governance.

3. Transformation of the Central Autonomous Services into Special Security Services.
That is, services with a specialized subject and nationwide action (Anti-Terrorism, DEA, Cybercrime Prosecution, DEA, etc.)

Reorganization of the Aerial Means Service with the aim of optimal utilization of aerial means and especially drones for policing and security.
Transformation of the Directorate of Cybercrime Prosecution into a Cybercrime Prosecution Directorate.

Worthy of special mention is the creation of a First Aid and Trauma Training Centre (F.A.T.T.T.) of the Hellenic Police, which will operate at the Departmental level, with the main mission of providing certified training in first aid and life-saving skills to the uniformed personnel of the Hellenic Police.
An important provision for both front-line police officers who have often needed first aid, and for citizens who, many times, have been helped by police officers.

With Law 5187 we are attempting a new approach to the Social Contract.
We are creating the Police of the next decades, not following developments, but planning by anticipating the future and the evolution of crime.

– Το Police Headquarters gains a modern and flexible structure that enhances good governance and decision making.
– Greek Police becomes smart and efficient, leveraging research, technology tools and data analysis.

We are proceeding with the radical restructuring of the structure, operation, philosophy and teaching methods of the Police Academy and the training of police officers as a whole.

We are strengthening accountability and internal control procedures.

We highlight human security and emphasize the prevention and response to all forms of violence that have a strong social dimension, as well as the protection of vulnerable people, especially victims of violence and crime.