On the evening of May 28, the International Association “LAWYERS WITHOUT BORDERS” received a phone call requesting assistance. At a hotel on Crete, located near Heraklion, a robbery occurred. Bandits broke into the hotel room where a Russian family with two young children was staying, ripped the safe from the wall, and disappeared in an unknown direction.
The Russians had their last money and documents stolen, leaving them at the mercy of fate. The Greek police were inactive, and the people were in despair.
WHAT SHOULD A TOURIST – FOREIGN NATIONAL – DO IN SUCH CASES?
First of all, the tourist must dial 100 and report the incident to the police. The police, in turn, are obligated to go to the crime scene, document the robbery, and call criminal investigation specialists (Asvaleia). The tourist should also notify the tourist police (Turisteiki astinomeia), which has full authority to support tourists in distress, as many citizens from the CIS do not speak foreign languages. The affected tourist should insist that the investigators conduct fingerprinting and chemical analysis, in other words, perform their professional duty.
However, very often the Greek police are inactive: they do not file reports, conduct no investigations, and therefore no criminal case is initiated, delaying action until the foreigner’s visa expires, forcing the tourist to return home. This is the police lawlessness often seen in the actions of Greek police toward foreigners. Many people assume that the robbers and hotel staff are working together under police protection, but this view is mistaken, as the Greek police are generally not corrupt, unlike in some former socialist countries.
The real issue is that, considering their national character, they are simply lazy to work, and there is no other explanation. Moreover, in Greece, police departments do not have specialized investigative units, except for ordinary, not very skilled officers who act as investigators and often cannot even fill one A4 page in half a workday.
Investigative units exist in Greece only under the prosecutor’s office.
Therefore, the affected tourist should urgently contact the embassy of their country and report the incident. The duty diplomat must take immediate action, i.e., contact the police for accurate information and send a consular representative to the police station. The tourist should also contact their tour operator in Russia or other CIS countries to provide full information about the incident and then contact a lawyer to protect their rights and ensure legal compliance. By searching online for the International Community “LAWYERS WITHOUT BORDERS,” Russian-speaking tourists can always get free legal advice, and upon signing an agreement, the lawyer undertakes to perform their duties professionally and conscientiously.
Experience shows that, not knowing their rights or Greek laws, affected tourists leave their valuables and savings at the mercy of lazy police and leave the country without results, losing hope and faith in law enforcement. In cases of police inaction, a lawyer has full right to file a complaint with the prosecutor. The prosecutor, in turn, issues a prosecutorial order (Isangeleiki parangeleia) to ensure legality, after which the police must report to the prosecutor within 48 hours on the measures taken.
The hotel is also responsible for the incident, as the robbery occurred on its premises. In most Greek hotels, video surveillance cameras are absent. Hotel owners, aiming to save money and citing a loophole in the law “prohibiting video surveillance in public areas,” cleverly evade responsibility.
A tourist should know that with competent actions by a lawyer, consular representative, tour operator, police, and the victim themselves, there is a strong chance of recovering stolen property for the owner and bringing the criminals to justice.
