Remote policing in Universities in Athens |
Outside the campuses of the University of Athens and the Metsovian Polytechnic and escorted by police officers from the nearby police stations patrolling by members of the university police. This is, according to the information of “K”, the next operational step of the project to install university police in Greek universities by the Hellenic Police.
Apparently, the government is trying to lower the tone after the first appearance of the members of the University Institutions Protection Teams (OPPI), as they are called, at the gates of the campus of the Greek Technical University of Athens and the National Technical University of Athens in Zografou – an appearance that caused reactions from student factions that have the political support of the parent parties of the opposition.
In particular, during the meeting held yesterday by the leaderships of the Ministry of Citizen Protection and EL.AS. with the rectors of the four universities – EKPA, NTUA, AUTH and Athens University of Economics and Business (formerly ASOEE) – in which it was announced that OPPI would be installed, Minister Takis Theodorikakos is reported to have stressed to the rectors that it is not the university police’s intention to get involved. academic events of the student groups, except to protect professors, students and administrative staff in case of criminal acts. “The members of the OPPI have nothing to divide with the members of the factions, they are not rivals”, is the meaning of what was said yesterday by the Ministry of Citizen Protection to the rectors.
With the assistance of police officers from the nearby units of the university police patrols in the next period.
In the same context, it was mentioned that the government has already sent the political message that the law, which was passed in February 2021, will be implemented and the OPPI will be installed, and now the question is how the OPPI will operate operationally the supervision of the EL. AS . Thus, in Athens, OPPI members will patrol outside the University Campus and Polytechnic University, with the assistance of police officers from the nearby police stations of Zografou and Kaisariani. “If there is an incident in the outer perimeter of the campus, OPPI members will intervene,” participants in yesterday’s meeting told “K”.
In the next phase, the OPPI will patrol the University campus and the Polytechnic campus. Of course, the condition for this is that the two HEIs will implement their security plans by installing the tournament at the entrances of the buildings. It is clarified, moreover, that the members of the university police do not patrol outside the historical buildings of NTUA on Patision Street, the University of Economics and Law of Athens. As for the AUTH, the library construction projects on the premises of the School of Applied Sciences, where the so-called “Biological Shelter” occupation was housed for 34 years, are being guarded by police to prevent attacks. It is recalled that, at the beginning of last May, dozens of people carrying sledgehammers arrived at the site and started tearing down the walls. Well, there is a police force and OPPI members will be patrolling the outside areas. Of course, the general message of non-aggression will also be observed at AUTH.
As the rector stated yesterday in “K”, it is considered that the “quiet presence” of the OPPI will facilitate the actual assumption of their responsibilities.
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The announcement by EL.AS about the incidents at APTH