On March 19, the Minister of Citizen Protection Michalis Chrisochoidis announced in the Greek Cabinet that a new immigrants’ detention camp will be created in Kozani (Neapoli).
The camp will be under the authority of Greek police and will be located in a former military base. The camp’s capacity will be 1,000 inmates.
It is planned to be ready by the end of April.
This will be the first official detention camp according to the new law of 2011 in Greece. The responsibility for guarding the perimeter of the detention camp will be given to the Greek police, but according to the Greek newspaper Vima Online, a private security company will be contracted for the guarding of the interior.
The local population reacted immediately by protesting against the “transfer of the problem” from the urban centres to other cities.
As the Vice-Minister of Citizen Protection Mr. Oikonomou said about the creation of 14 new detention centres in the very near future:
There will be no other solution to illegal migration than detention centres!
Three other detention centres are planned to be in Thessaloniki and at least two in Attika region. According to Minister of Citizen Protection Mr. Chrisochidis old military camps will be used and also former buildings of the Ministry of Education and other Ministries. The Minister while trying to convince the local population of its benefits said:
The aim is to support the local work force with new jobs. Soon enough the mayors who are now protesting against the construction of detention centres in their cities will be asking us to build also one in their region.
Vima Online (news in Greek)
Epikaira (news in Greek)
Kathimerini (news in english)