POLICE on the holiday island of Crete have launched a campaign of pre-emptive arrests of drunken British tourists in an attempt to cut the number of rapes and other violent crimes before they take place.
The crackdown was announced following the arrest of more than 500 Britons in the resort of Mallia at the beginning of May. Most were given light sentences, fined and released.
The number of Germans, French, Italians or Russians arrested are "minu
te by comparison", according to officials.
Captain Yannis Milathianakis told The Scotsman yesterday that in the preceding 24 hours alone, 16 Britons were detained overnight just because they were drunk: two were women.
He said: "We have decided that it might prove more effective if we make the arrests before the actual trouble breaks out.
"So we have started a campaign of detentions whenever our officers notice that someone is drunk and potentially dangerous, rather than intervene after the damage has been done."
Manolis Petrakis, the chief of police at the Hersonissos-Mallia precinct and the man who is leading the initiative, conceded there were fears that it would be seen as over the top when it was launched on 1 August.
"Colleagues of mine wondered whether we would be considered too strict because we targeted young tourists just because they were very drunk.
"Some thought we would be over-doing it, that the British tour operators and bar and club owners might turn against us for damaging their business. But the response has been surprisingly positive.
"Let's face it, they are either likely to do something very bad, ranging from violent assault to rape, or at best spend the night being sick in a hotel room or lobby or on the street." He added: "One night in police custody might convince him and a lot of his friends not to do it again."
George Stratakis, an officer who was dispatched from police security headquarters at the island's capital of Heraklion to tackle the "British problem" at Mallia, described the crackdown as "preventive medicine".
He said: "We say that, instead of taking the next step and hitting someone with a broken bottle or raping a helpless girl, come with us and have a cup of coffee in a cell until you've recovered the next morning. It might sound a bit harsh, but there's a lot of sense to it".
The measures seem to be welcomed by the majority of establishments.
"It is a myth that we bar and club owners favour binge-drinking because it's good for business," said Nick Theodorou, who operates a coastal establishment at Mallia.
"Trouble-makers drive away the vast majority who want to have a few drinks, get merry and have singalongs, but who abhor violence."
Sean Tipton, a spokesman for the Abta travel association, which represents thousands of British travel and tour companies, said: "It is perfectly reasonable action to take if someone is so drunk they pose a risk to themselves or others.
"Dealing with drunk and disorderly holidaymakers is a value judgment to be made by the police in question.
"Arresting 500 people since May might sound a lot, but it's a small percentage compared to the thousands of British who descend on Crete every year."
The full article contains 547 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
