Cyprus Plans to Establish an Independent Coast Guard

The Minister of Justice and Public Order of Cyprus, Kostas Fitiris, announced plans to establish a Coast Guard that will operate independently from the police. The statement was made on Monday at a press conference in Nicosia.

According to the minister, the new Coast Guard will be responsible for the security of the maritime domain — from the coastline to the limits of Cyprus's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The structure will be based on the port service and a helicopter unit. Cooperation with the Ports Authority, which operates maritime monitoring systems, and the Fisheries Department of the Ministry of Agriculture, which has its own vessels, is also planned.

Kostas Fitiris noted that the relevant proposal will be submitted to the Council of Ministers. The aim of the initiative is to unite fragmented services with overlapping powers, reduce state expenses, and ensure faster and more efficient responses to incidents. “We are a small state, and it is time to organize our forces and resources,” emphasized the minister.

Additionally, the Minister announced the creation of a special unit for the protection of critical infrastructure. Its tasks will include safeguarding airports, fiber-optic network facilities, and energy centers.

The minister also presented a comprehensive modernization plan for the Fire Service, including nine key directions. Planned measures include the purchase of four vans, two 6×6 all-terrain vehicles for the needs of the rescue units (EMAK), as well as 21 fire trucks for various purposes. These include vehicles for rescue operations, initial response, working in narrow streets, and water transport.

Additionally, 15 electronic-optical early fire detection systems are planned to be installed in industrial zones and critical infrastructure facilities, two vehicles for drone transport, and an update of multi-level firefighting fleets. The first phase of the wireless MANET network for transmitting images, videos, and real-time data will also be implemented.

The Fire Service will also adopt the “ARGOS” crisis management system. As part of the reform, two mobile tactical command centers (C2) will be purchased to coordinate operations at incident sites.

According to the data presented, in 2025 the fire services of Cyprus rescued 2,351 people. During the same period, 7,154 fires were recorded, of which 3,585 occurred in cities and 3,569 in rural areas. The number of special deployments amounted to 5,259, and false alarms reached 988.