Greek Citizen Protection Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis announced a comprehensive crackdown on crime in Crete, including stricter gun penalties and permanent deployment of an elite organised crime unit following a deadly shooting in Vorizia that killed two people and injured at least six others.
"The glass is overflowing ... no more bullies and local mafias in Crete," Chrysochoidis said at a Heraklion press conference, unveiling legislative changes and reinforced police presence on the island.
The measures follow Saturday's shooting in Vorizia village near Heraklion, where gunfire erupted during what authorities described as a family feud, killing two and wounding at least six others including a child, according to domestic reports.
A section of the Directorate for the Fight against Organised Crime, described by officials as Greece's equivalent to the FBI, will be permanently stationed in Crete. The unit specialises in dismantling criminal networks and investigating serious organised crime.
Chrysochoidis warned against a "cyclone of unrest and uncertainty" affecting ordinary citizens, laying the blame for it on emerging "delinquent and anti-social behaviour, criminal groups that loot, bullies who think they are above the law, and rats in the state coffers who steal the fair labour of citizens."
"This will stop," the minister in charge of public security services pledged.
"The progress made since the crisis is not a given. The biggest danger is our own pathologies that may lead us to new crises, now that the world is more demanding than ever."
Crete has experienced recurring incidents of gun violence in recent years, often linked to family disputes, property disagreements and organised criminal activity.
Details of the specific legislative changes and enhanced penalties for illegal possession of weapons are expected to be announced in the coming days as the Greek government prepares to present measures to parliament.
