Athens Police Flood Central Squares in Major Crime Crackdown
Greek police launched a major crackdown on crime in central Athens on Thursday, deploying officers across some of the capital's most troubled neighborhoods under an operation called "Clean Squares." The areas targeted include Agios Panteleimonas, Amerikis Square and Victoria Square, all of which have seen elevated levels of street crime in recent years.
Officers checked migrants' documents, spoke with local residents and shopkeepers, and fanned out under a new rotating patrol system designed to give locals a lasting sense of security rather than a one-time sweep. Special guards joined the operation, with additional police units on standby.
"The crackdown is about ensuring public spaces stay accessible to everyone who lives and works in central Athens" — Chrysochoidis
The operation targets theft, drug trafficking and the illegal cigarette trade. Citizen Protection Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis said the crackdown is about ensuring public spaces stay accessible to everyone who lives and works in central Athens.
Chrysochoidis also announced plans for legislation that would ban the rental and sublet of central Athens apartments reportedly housing 20 to 30 migrants each, with occupants paying between 10 and 30 euros a night. Authorities would conduct operations at those properties to remove occupants, he said.
He added that migrants who commit crimes and are not held in pretrial detention should leave Greece, and that detention facilities for those awaiting deportation would be used to hold anyone accused of criminal activity.
