Michalis Chrisochoidis

Ankara has canceled the visit of Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya to Athens, which was scheduled for Tuesday.

Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni on Friday had a meeting with Citizen Protection Minister Michalis Chrisochoidis, in which she raised a number of issues relating to effective policing in areas frequented by tourists, especially Athens, and the handling of the greater numbers of visitors.

The Minister of Citizens Protection, Michalis Chrisochoidis stated in a Monday interview that in May the Hellenic Police made 1,000 arrests for domestic violence.

Greece's minister in charge of police announced plans Monday to set up a nationwide network of domestic violence shelters, days after the fatal stabbing of a woman outside a police station.

Greek authorities on Tuesday ordered an urgent investigation into a woman's fatal stabbing outside an Athens police precinct where she had just requested protection from an ex-boyfriend.

Thessaloniki is set to increase the number of patrolling police officers, Minister of Citizen Protection Michalis Chrisochoidis announced on Friday.

New Citizen Protection Minister Michalis Chrisochoidis, in his fifth stint at the ministry overseeing the security forces since 1999, has his work cut out for him as he tries to overhaul the Hellenic Police.

The resulting riots refocused attention on a controversial decision to resurrect a notorious motorized police brigade and triggered more talk of strengthening a mechanism to monitor police behaviour. But experts say its effectiveness depends on the readiness of those at the top to act.

The Kifissia-Lamia section of Athens-Thessaloniki motorway, which was closed as a precaution early on Monday due to heavy snowfall and unsafe driving conditions, will reopen between 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Monday, Citizen Protection Minister Michalis Chrisochoidis said after an emergency meeting on Monday.

Α meeting will be held at the Civil Protection's operatin center on Thursday to discuss the state's preparation ahead of the imminent cold front that is expected to hit a large part of the country in the following days.