The Greek police will start going under psychological tests. In the central Athens stations 50 policemen have went under the test and three of them did not pass because they are dangerous for the public when armed.

The first results showed that the public had the right when it wanted the policemen and women to go under psychological testing. This need became very evident especially after the murder of the 16 year old student in December and the injury caused to a security firm employee, who was shot by a policeman.

The tests started on Monday and will continue until a decision is reached of whether all 50 000 policemen in the country can carry weapons. The first ones tested will be those who work in the center of Athens – around Omonia square, Exarhia, around the Acropolis and Constitution square, in Kipseli and St. Pantaleymon. Those regions are considered to be “vulnerable,” because the police are in touch with many citizens there. When this procedure is over, then the “testing” will continue in the rest of the neighborhoods.

After what happened in December, 11 psychologists undertook the hard job hold the testing and it is expected that another 23 psychologists will be hired, who will cover the rest of Greece. “I’m afraid that when the testing is over, we will have to confiscate the weapons from many policemen. This will create problems in many police stations. Even if only 1 out of 15 is problematic, that means that we will have to withdraw 3000 policemen from active duty. If to this number we include all those who do not have the necessary weapon training, then it is obvious how big the problem is for Greek police, in which 50 000 policemen are working,” said for a Greek newspaper a high-ranking Greek police official. The same officer said that officers will also have to pass those tests. But the decision of whether a weapon should be confiscated or not, will not be taken only by the psychologists but also by a commission, which chairman will be the director of the Greek police.

It is expected that all policemen will pass those tests within a year.