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New bi-communal ‘Joint Communications Room’ launched
New bi-communal ‘Joint Communications Room’ launched
Nicosia, 29 July 2010 – In support of efforts to combat crime across Cyprus, the United Nations-backed Technical Committee on Crime and Criminal Matters (TCCCM) today launched the ‘Joint Communications Room’ (JCR), a bi-communal initiative set up to exchange information between the island’s two communities on crimes and crime-related matters.
The JCR, a round-the-clock-operation run by Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot law enforcement experts, along with UNFICYP police officers, aims to support information sharing between the police forces in both communities on matters related to thefts, murders, drug offences and human trafficking, among others.
Delivering remarks at today’s launch, Alexander Downer, the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Cyprus, said the JCR was “a very good example of the two communities in Cyprus successfully working together...Exchanges of information, in particular, on crime and criminal matters, are of enormous value…to the authorities. That’s what this Joint Communications Room is really all about”.
Previously situated in the UN Protected Area in Nicosia, the JCR became operational in May 2009. Since then, it has dealt with a total of 89 cases on various issues passed from one side to the other, most of which have been successfully completed. “In particular, 56 cases were passed from the Greek Cypriot side to the Turkish Cypriot side, and another 33 cases have been submitted by the Turkish Cypriot side to the Greek Cypriot side”, affirmed Andreas Christofides, Greek Cypriot member of the TCCCM speaking on behalf of the Committee.
“We believe that irrespective of the number of successes, the fact that after several decades of separation of the two communities, four persons, two from each side, are sitting one next to the other working in good faith trying to solve and overcome certain problems and difficulties, we believe is equally important, or even more important than the actual number of successes”, stated Mr Christofides.
The opening of the new permanent location for the JCR, in what was a former UN Observation Post located in the western section of the Nicosia buffer zone, was made possible with the support provided to the TCCCM and the JCR by the UN Development Programme-Action for Cooperation and Trust (UNDP-ACT) and the donor countries who support their efforts. Both the TCCCM and the JCR are seen as examples of how both sides can work together at previously unheard of levels and has thus far been a highly effective means of communication between the island’s two communities.
Speaking on behalf Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu, his Representative in the ongoing peace talks, Kudret Ozersay, expressed his hope that “the cooperation between the two sides will at one point turn into cooperation between the police forces of two future constituent States in a federal Cyprus”.
For his part, George Iacovou, the Representative of Greek Cypriot leader Demetris Christofias, said he hoped people wouldn’t leave today’s event in doubt that the two sides were “pursuing a common vision” of a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation that was being pursued at all levels, from the leaders right through to the technical committees. “I think we can build on that and have a settlement as soon as possible”, he added.
Speaking for the Unites States, the main financial sponsor to the project, Frank C. Urbancic Jr., the U.S. Ambassador to Cyprus, said his country was “very proud to be associated with the JCR” and pledged the support of the United States to the two leaders as they moved forward in the peace process.
In closing the event, UNFICYP Deputy Senior Policing Adviser, and Facilitator of the Committee, Phil Spence, noted that “when law enforcement people get together, there is always a common purpose, and that is to ensure that criminals don’t win. We believe that law enforcement should always win, and here is a pretty good example of this”.
Background on the TCCCM
The TCCCM is one of seven specialized committees formed as a confidence building measure between the two communities with support of the United Nations. The Technical Committee, a direct result of an agreement reached between the two Cypriot leaders on 21 March 2008 through which they set out to resume full-fledged negotiations, is a mechanism for information sharing and joint initiatives on legal and criminal matters on the island.
The TCCCM has been successful in promoting a number of law and order and social issues in recent times including the establishment of the Joint Communications Room (JCR) in May of 2009 to facilitate the timely exchange of information in relation to crime and criminal matters. The JCR organizes meetings with representatives from both communities on a daily basis with the aim of providing a united approach to dealing with the issues of crime and criminals.
The TCCCM also facilitated a seminar on 'Children at Risk' in January 2010 where speakers from both communities addressed the issues surrounding youth crime and anti-social behavior and mechanisms for dealing with these situations. The seminar was attended by teachers and councilors from both communities and was considered a great success.
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