Change of leadership in Hellenic Police - Fire Department

Unexpected crises in Security Forces

 

KYSEA, the Government Council for Foreign Affairs and Defense, had an urgent meeting shortly before the informal cabinet meeting to decide upon the election of the new H.P. and F.D. leaders.

The new chief of the H.P. is the current Chief of Staff Nikolaos Papagiannopoulos and the current Deputy Commander Panagiotis Bonatsos will be the new F.D. chief Eleftherios Oikonomou, the current Police Chief, was appointed General Secretary of the Ministry of Citizen Protection, replacing Grigoris Tasoulas who resigned for personal reasons. 

Well informed sources say that these crises in the Police and the Fire Department were caused by the departure of the Secretary General of Citizen Protection and Papoutsis' replacing him with the H.P. chief. Thus, the chiefs’s post became vacant and KYSEA convened to elect the new leadership.

It should be noted that a week earlier, retired lieutenant general Charalampos Christofarizis had assumed the position of advisor at the Citizen Protection Ministry.

The official announcement of the ministry states:

By decision of KYSEA and following the proposal of Minister Papoutsis, Lieutenant General Nikolaos Papagiannopoulos and Lieutenant Ggeneral Panagiotis Bonatsos were elected as leaders of the H.P. and F.D. respectively.

Also, by joint decision of PM George Papandreou and Minister Christos Papoutsis, Eleftherios Oikonomou is the new General Secretary of the Citizen Protection Ministry.

The current General Secretary of Public Order, Grigoris Tasoulas, had previously tendered his resignation due to personal reasons. Christos Papoutsis thanked Grigoris Tasoulas for his cooperation to date and his work at the ministry.

In conclusion, KYSEA awarded Eleftherios Oikonomou with the title of Honorary Chief of H.P. and Stylianos Stylianidis with the title of Honorary Chief of the F.D.