The Cities Police (Greek: Αστυνομία Πόλεων) was a Greekpolice force extant from 1921 to 1984, responsible for policing urban areas. It complemented the Hellenic Gendarmerie, which was responsible for rural and suburban areas.
History
Α road traffic policeman of the Cities Police in Athens, 1960A policeman of the Cities Police in the 16th department of Athens, c. 1964Plymouth Valiant vehicle of the Cities Police in Athens, 1973Band of the Cities Police marches down Herodou Attikou Street in central Athens, early 1950sBand of the Cities Police at the Temple of Olympian Zeus, Athens, early 1950s
Its creation was decreed in 1918 (Article 12 of the Law 1370/1918 On the organization of the Gendarmerie) and confirmed in 1920 (Law 2461/1920). The force became operational in the city of Corfu in 1920, followed by Patras (1921), Piraeus (1923) and Athens (1929). Remarkably, in Thessaloniki, Greece's second largest city, the force was not established due to the Gendarmerie's opposition, despite the law's provisions.
Unlike the paramilitary Gendarmerie, which had close ties to the Hellenic Army and was commanded by Army generals, the Cities Police was a purely civilian force, modeled after the Metropolitan Police of London, and with training provided by a British mission under Sir Frederick Loch Halliday.[1]
From the late 1920s, the Cities Police, and especially its feared General Security Directorate, initiated the state persecution of the nascent Communist Party of Greece (KKE), whose popularity was growing among the urban poor, the working classes and the destitute refugees from Asia Minor. In the aftermath of the Greek Civil War, the Gendarmerie and the Cities Police became bastions of the conservative and vehemently anti-Communist establishment, a role they would retain throughout the Greek junta of 1967–74. After the fall of the junta, emphasis was placed on civilian policing. Despite strong opposition from the Gendarmerie and the Cities Police,[2] both forces were amalgamated on 1 November 1984 (Law 1481/1-10-1984) into the unified Hellenic Police.
Ranks insignia
Cities Police Officer Ranks & Insignia
Commissioner Αντιστράτηγος
Deputy Commissioner Υποστράτηγος
Brigadier Ταξίαρχος
Police Director Αστυνομικός Διευθυντής
Police Deputy Director Αστυνομικός Υποδιευθυντής
Police Captain I Class Αστυνόμος Α'
Police Captain II Class Αστυνόμος Β'
Police Lieutenant I Class Υπαστυνόμος Α'
Police Lieutenant II Class Υπαστυνόμος B'
Cities Police NCO Ranks & Insignia
Police Warrant Officer Ανθυπαστυνόμος
Police Chief Sergeant-Interrogation Officer with exams Αρχιφύλακας-ανακριτικός υπάλληλος με εξετάσεις
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