Police are currently awaiting the release of the relevant budget by Parliament in order to proceed with activating the Photo Radar List system, which is expected to resolve the longstanding issue of undelivered traffic citations generated by the photo‑enforcement system.
Among these are roughly 12,000 citations involving vehicles with Turkish Cypriot licence plates, which to date could not be served. Traffic Police Chief Haris Evripidou told Politis the Police sent a letter to Parliament in early February requesting the release of the necessary funds so that the technical implementation of the software can move forward immediately.
How the backlog was created
The accumulation of unserved citations emerged after the full implementation of the speed and red light camera system. In many cases, offenders did not collect the postal notification, while in others it was not possible to locate them.
Specifically concerning Turkish Cypriot vehicles, there has so far been no practical mechanism for immediate identification and service upon crossing the checkpoints. As a result, fines were recorded but remained shelved. Asked about this, Evripidou clarified that there is no issue of statutory limitation:
“The Police are obliged to serve the citations, and if they are not paid, to refer them to the judicial process,” he added.
How the Photo Radar List will work
The Photo Radar List is software that will be linked to the database of violations recorded by traffic cameras. The key change is that citations will be able to be served on the spot during checks.
At crossing points, during routine checks of the driver’s and vehicle’s details, an electronic search will be carried out for any outstanding citations. If an unpaid citation is found, it will be served immediately to the driver. If it remains unpaid, the standard procedure will follow, including the possibility of referring the case to Court.
A similar check will also be possible on the road network for Greek Cypriot drivers. Through portable devices (tablets) used by Traffic Police officers, any outstanding fines will be detectable in real time during a traffic stop. At this stage, installation of the system at airports and ports is not expected.
Legal basis and cost
Despite objections raised in Parliament, the Police rely on a legal opinion from the Law Office stating that serving traffic citations at crossing points is lawful and does not require amendments to existing legislation. This opinion has already been forwarded to Parliament.
According to Evripidou, the cost of implementing the Photo Radar List is estimated at around €150,000, covering the development and integration of the software into the Police’s existing information systems.
Difficulties with rental cars
A continuing “stumbling block” is the handling of violations involving rental vehicles, the well‑known “Z” number plates. According to available data, from the start of the camera system until mid‑last year, violations were recorded for around 18,000 such vehicles. Of these cases, only 1,400 included a driver declaration, while about 800 citations remain unpaid.
The main difficulty arises in cases involving tourists who have already left the country. The process requires sending a letter to the rental company and electronically submitting the required information (eTOL), yet full integration of these records into the citations system has not yet been completed for all cases.