Minister to allow migrants, minorities to join police force

Alternate Citizens? Protection Minister Yiannis Panousis said on Wednesday that he will allow minorities and migrants to join the Hellenic Police (ELAS) with the aim of making it a multicultural force.

?In a multicultural society, you must have a multicultural police force,? he told the Federation of Greek Police Officers (POASY).

?We have to bring into the force people from various groups that have been excluded, such as the Roma, Pomaks and Black Sea Greeks.?

Panousis said that he aims for about 5 percent of the police force to be made up of officers from minority groups.

POASY had first raised the issue of broadening membership of the police force in terms of ethnicity in 2005 but subsequent discussions did not lead anywhere.