A new law was enacted on 21 October 2011 expressly stating that racist motivation is an aggravating circumstance for any offence and is to be taken into account by the court at the time of sentencing.
A series of training courses on discrimination, racism and xenophobia were implemented at the Cyprus Police Academy at various levels (basic police training, courses for sergeants and inspectors). Law-enforcement authorities also translated and published leaflets and booklets on human rights, discrimination, racism and xenophobia, which were distributed to all police officers, as well as made available to the public.
The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) recommended that Cyprus train prosecutors and judges in relation to hate crime and other forms of discrimination; ensure all acts of racist violence are thoroughly investigated for appropriate prosecution and punishment; and improve its hate crime data-collection system, noting that the recorded number of racially motivated incidents is low compared with reports of such incidents in the community.