Police officers held their first protest against Police Chief Themistos Arnaoutis’s decision. He changed the schedule and cut holidays for over 1,000 Cyprus Police members.
The decision started on January 1st. The Union EQUALITY organized the protest outside Parliament. Off-duty members were asked to come in civilian clothes.
The police officers protested by whistling outside the Parliament building. At 10:20, the Parliamentary Legal Committee met to discuss reorganizing and modernizing the Police Force, based on suggestions from MPs Nikos Tornaritis, Fotini Tsiridou, and Nikos Georgiou.
The prison guards also showed support for the police with a statement of solidarity. During the protest, officers held a one-minute silence for their colleague George, who passed away too soon.
MPs joined the protest, giving short speeches to back the police’s demands. According to a recent announcement from Union EQUALITY, a member filed an appeal about holiday cuts. The Court ordered that the interim application be served to the respondent (Police Chief) by 22/01/2026, along with the main appeal.
Any objections must be filed by 2/2/2026. The hearing for the interim application is set for 4/2/2026 at 11:00. The main application hearing, originally on 16/2/2026, was canceled and rescheduled for 4/2/2026.
