We need to defuse this new climate of fear

THE famous aphorism may tell us that we have “nothing to fear but fear itself”, but the reality in the face of rising crime is that fear alone is enough to affect quality of life.

In North Cyprus, there is growing concern in legal circles that violent crime is being seen on a level never experienced before, leaving members of the public fearful for their own safety and that of their family, their property and their possessions.

The perception is that the TRNC is no longer the safe, crime-free environment it used to be. This may be exaggerated, but with official statistics thin on the ground, perception is everything.

Fear also abounds that “new” crimes are making their way into North Cyprus from overseas. Its a view that could arguably be deemed “racist” — an accusation levelled against Turkish Cypriots elsewhere this week — since after all, there are plenty of “homegrown” criminals before the courts or languishing in police and prison cells.

But the evidence of local news columns is suggestive of a type or level of criminality not seen previously in the TRNC’s oncesleepy towns and villages. Last year, the sickening violence of audacious copycat killings of women, allegedly by husbands and partners, shocked this country. Then came the case of the hitman, sent into the country to kill another woman, but thankfully arrested, and jailed last week, before he could succeed.

Now, this week alone, comes news of weapon and ammunition seizures, a suspected protection racket — a first for North Cyprus — and the killing of an Alsancak Municipality manager, allegedly to avenge another man’s “honour”.

Small wonder fears are running high, but it’s a shame — and a danger — if “bad apples” come to taint relations between different peoples who are mostly law-abiding.

One demand is for information sharing to highlight foreign undesirables in our midst. If it can help defuse the climate of fear, it has to be welcomed.