NCJ Number
118651
Journal
Police Journal Volume: 61 Issue: 2 Dated: (April-June 1989) Pages: 131-135
Date Published
1989
Length
5 pages
Annotation
After describing the structure and tactics of a Greek terrorist group on Cyprus in the 1950's, this article describes the work of a British police unit sent to Cyprus to help Cypriot police deal with the terrorists.
Abstract
In the 1950's fanatical forces in Greece set out to extend their frontiers to embrace all Greek-speaking people; Cyprus, with 80 percent of the population of Greek extraction and a thriving community, was an obvious choice to be part of the expansion. Teachers from Greece encouraged children to believe that Enosis (union with Greece) would be their salvation and independence. Young men were coerced into accepting terrorism as the only way to achieve Enosis. Headed by a man named Grivas, who planned terrorist activities and policy, the terrorists relied primarily on bombs as a terrorist tactic. The Cypriot government sought the help of a British police unit to quell terrorist activity. The unit quickly became an authority on the home-made bombs used by the terrorists and began to defuse them on numerous occasions. Defused bombs were examined for fingerprints to facilitate the identification of the terrorists responsible for the bomb. Illustrative photographs.