According to a Greek media report on January 16, Costas Karamanlis, the Greek Minister of Transport, told the media that the Greek government is considering forming a police team specializing in public transportation in the Attica region where Athens is located to assist and guarantee the security of local public transport network.
Karamanlis said that the Greek Ministry of Transport had discussed the plan with Mihalis Kinsochsotitis, Minister of Civil Protection, and that the new force is expected to be formed by the end of this year.
On the afternoon of the 13th of this month, at the Omonia subway station in central Athens, two male passengers maliciously attacked the stationmaster for refusing to wear masks, repeatedly punching and kicking him, causing the stationmaster to be seriously injured and hospitalized.
This vicious incident aroused concern on the ground. Police said it was only a “time problem” to track down and arrest the two passengers. Sources said that the closed-circuit television cameras in the subway clearly recorded their faces.
Karamanlis later said in an interview that the police had basically identified the suspect. He stressed that the formation of a new police team is to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents.
