Today, a large-scale videoconference was held under the leadership of the Minister of Citizens Protection Takis Theodorikakos with the participation of Deputy Minister Lefteris Economos, Chief of Police of Greece, Lieutenant General Konstantinos Koumas, Inspector General of the Police of South Greece, Lieutenant General Georgios Kanellos, Head of the Department of Aliens and Protection borders of the Greek headquarters Police, Major General Dimitris Mallios and 21 Police Directors. During the teleconference, the effectiveness of security measures at the country’s airports and gateways was discussed.

Minister for the Protection of Citizens Takis Theodorikakos underlined the successful management of the Greek police due to the increased number of visitors to the country during the tourist season. The doubling, compared to last year, of the number of police officers serving at the entrance and exit, as well as the targeted training of passport control personnel, played an important role: “With timely operational planning, we have doubled the number of police officers at the points of entry and exit from the country, from 1090 additional police officers who have been added to the already serving 1050,” the minister emphasized, noting that Greece is not only an attractive but also a safe tourist destination.

The role of the Greek police is crucial for the development of tourism, said Mr. Theodorikakos: “For a destination to be attractive, it must be and must be safe. The effective work of the Greek police brought additional capital to the country. You go to Greece because it is an attractive place and you have something to see, but at the same time you go to Greece because you are absolutely safe and you will not have any problems. This is a triptych. Two of the three aspects of the triptych are satisfied by the Greek police.”

As police chiefs noted, the number of arrivals in some areas is even higher than in 2019, that is, before travel restrictions were introduced due to the pandemic. Characteristically, on August 1 alone, more than 96,000 passengers arrived in the country from Eleftherios Venizelos Airport.