ATHENS – The duration for which Greek passports remain valid is to be doubled to 10 years, Citizen Protection Minister Takis Theodorikakos announced while speaking on SKAI television on Thursday. He also commented on the recent fires, highlighting the role played by the police and noting that effective coordination had averted any loss of human lives.

Regarding the issue of passports, he pointed out that Greece was one of a handful of countries in the EU and the world whose passports lasted just five years and that the measure the ministry has tabled in parliament will eliminate substantial financial and administrative costs.

“Bureaucracy is lessened for Greek citizens, and especially Greeks abroad. Police forces are freed up. It is a situation from which both the state and Greek citizens will benefit…a great convenience for citizens and the Hellenic Police,” he said.

Theodorikakos also spoke about planned improvements in the training of Greek police officers, with the police academy becoming a higher education institution equivalent to the armed forces’ academies, providing a high level of education and knowledge and even offering postgraduate studies.

“The aim for a well trained, effective Hellenic Police force is becoming a reality with every passing day. Here we are making a very big step as regards the training of our police officers, as the equivalent upgrade also concerns the policemen’s school of the Hellenic Police and the further training schools, which will adopt the very high standards that exist in the rest of Europe,” he said.

The minister commented on the stance of the opposition, calling on the political parties to respect the work done by the police force and fire brigade, who acted with professionalism and self-sacrifice.