Cyprus's Justice Minister, Constantinos Fytiris, has promised to stop crime connected to prisoners. Many convicted people still work with criminal groups. This helps them plan illegal activities from prison. The Minister presented a plan to fix problems in the country's prisons. He said the prisons are not good enough right now.
For a long time, prisons have not been a complete barrier to crime. It is known that many prisoners still control illegal businesses outside. These activities include drug trafficking and money laundering. They are a big danger to public safety. The Minister wants to take action now.
Cyprus's prisons are old. The Central Prisons are not modern. This makes it hard to help prisoners and keep them secure. The buildings themselves may help criminals stay connected. Many prisoners are from other countries. This makes managing them with outside criminal links very difficult.
Minister Fytiris has big plans for the prisons. He visited them recently. His plan includes building a new, modern prison. It also includes training prison staff. This training will help staff stop inmates' illegal plans. A major problem is mobile phones in prisons. Inmates use them to communicate.
The Minister is very determined. His motto is: "I don't like 'We'll see,' 'I have a problem that can't be solved,' or 'I give up.'" He sees this problem as very serious. He wants to find good solutions. The success of his plan will be seen in results. This means stopping criminal gangs. It also means stopping them from running operations inside. The next few months will show if the plan can secure prisons and stop organised crime.