Today, Cyprus will officially begin full operations of a new police unit — the Directorate for Combating Organised Crime (ΔΑΟΕ / DAOE). Local media have already dubbed it the “Cypriot FBI.”
The structure will be headed by Christos Andreou (Χρίστος Ανδρέου), who previously led the Drug Law Enforcement Unit (ΥΚΑΝ / YKAN). Its primary mission will be the dismantling of entire criminal networks, their financial flows and international links, rather than the pursuit of individual offenders.
On Sunday, 12 October, Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides said in a recorded address that the new body will change the state’s approach to tackling serious crime. According to him, the directorate was modelled on structures such as Europol and the FBI. It is intended to bring the police’s main operational capabilities under a single command and strengthen cooperation with European and international law enforcement agencies. Christodoulides described the creation of the directorate as part of the government’s efforts to build “a state that acts proactively, protects and responds.”
The official presentation of the structure took place on Wednesday, 8 October. It was introduced by Chief of Police Themistos Arnaoutis and Christos Andreou himself. The directorate consists of four units: intelligence and special operations; drug law enforcement (ΥΚΑΝ); organised crime investigations; and strategic analysis and international relations. Its approach is based on the principles of intelligence-led policing.
According to the police, the structure has already been operating in a practical capacity for several months and has achieved its first results: at least four cases have been brought before the courts. These include arrests in Limassol with the seizure of around €420,000, investigations linked to “pink cocaine” and other large drug consignments, as well as cases involving the preparation of murders. Christos Andreou has stressed that around 85% of Europe’s most dangerous criminal networks use legitimate businesses to conceal their activities, and that Cyprus is part of this reality.
The creation of the directorate is one of the key reforms under the Police 2030 modernisation programme. The new structure does not yet have its own building (funds for its purchase have been allocated in next year’s budget), but operational work is already under way.
The new approach involves shifting the focus from individual offences to the comprehensive dismantling of criminal networks — their structures, finances, logistics and international connections.
