FAMAGUSTA GAZETTE- Three men arrested for animal theft on May 10 in the Xylophagou area have been further remanded in police remanded in custody until June 2 following their appearance at the Sovereign Base Areas (SBA) Court in Dhekelia yesterday morning.
The Turkish Cypriot men are facing 13 criminal charges of animal theft – €15,000 worth of sheep -between April 30 and May 1, within the SBAs.
All three men have also been linked to similar cases within the Republic of Cyprus.
The arrests were made after they were apprehended trying to steal livestock in the early hours of the morning.
Theft of livestock in rural areas is not uncommon according to Sovereign Base Areas Police Superintendent, Dinos Petrou.
He said: “Historically, livestock is seen as an easy target. Firstly, they can be sold for quite a large sum of money and secondly, would-be thieves are able to move around undetected under the cover of darkness, when there are very few people around.
“However, over the years, farmers have been installing CCTV and improving their overall security to potentially deter criminal activity.
“We are also building a more robust approach in tackling animal and rural theft in cooperation with key stakeholders and with the support of the community network. Our Neighbourhood Policing unit will be leading this work.”
He also paid tribute to the Hunters Association, who were pivotal in the latest arrests: “We have a very good relationship with the hunters and we are working closely with them and our colleagues in the Cyprus Police to ensure we are able to catch and prosecute the perpetrators of these crimes.
“We take this very seriously as farmers rely on their livestock to make a living and we will not tolerate it.”