İskeçe police call for establishment of highway traffic department ahead of full Egnatia Highway

Police officers in İskeçe are calling for the creation of a dedicated Highway Traffic Department for the Egnatia Odos, as the motorway’s full concession to the consortium GEK TERNA–Egis nears completion.

In an official letter sent through their union to Minister of Citizen Protection Michalis Chrysochoidis, the officers highlighted the dire situation in the region due to severe staff shortages. They noted that at present, a single patrol car with just one officer is responsible for covering the city of İskeçe as well as its surrounding areas.

Referring to a recent fatal multi-vehicle accident on the Egnatia Odos, in which three people were burned alive, the police stressed the urgent need for reinforced policing and traffic monitoring on the motorway.

“The Egnatia Odos is currently policed only on paper. With one patrol car and one officer tasked with covering a vast area—including İskeçe’s urban and rural zones, as well as the İskeçe–Drama, İskeçe–Gümülcine, İskeçe–Karaağaç–Gümülcine, and İskeçe–Kavala national roads—patrols are practically impossible, despite the extraordinary efforts of our colleagues,” the letter stated.

The officers emphasized that establishing and staffing a new Highway Traffic Department is essential not only for road safety but also for the survival of the İskeçe Police Directorate and its ability to provide effective policing to the community.

They urged the state to act with proper planning rather than last-minute measures, underlining that road safety must be treated as a top priority in order to prevent further tragedies on the region’s national highways.