A 17-year-old has been arrested in connection to the ruckus at a home for the elderly, which also houses unaccompanied minors, a mere 20 of the 1,300 total currently in Cyprus.

Larnaca police spokesman Charis Hadjiyiasemi said the minor had been arrested for malicious acts at the home and would be taken to court on Thursday.

Regarding reports that a minor had sexually assaulted a female carer, Hadjiyiasemi said the police had not received a formal complaint but were looking into the issue ex officio.

He said statements had already been taken from the staff, however nothing had surfaced regarding the alleged assault and investigations were continuing.

Speaking on CyBC, police spokeswoman Eleni Constantinou said police were patrolling the area on a regular basis.

In the meantime, Social Welfare Services will be carrying out a full investigation into the reports regarding the OAP home, including the alleged sexual assault against the carer.

Director of the services Maria Kyratzi told the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) that “placing these children in the same building but in a different programme from that of the elderly, was a temporary arrangement.”

She said this was to give time to make arrangements for those minors, as well as the 1,300 other unaccompanied minors currently in Cyprus, to be spread out in smaller structures across Cyprus.

Kyratzi said four minors have already been moved from the home in Larnaca and the rest will be moved soon.

She added that measures have been taken to address “certain behaviours”, including more staff, further cooperation with the police and hiring private guards.

Kyratzi said delinquency could not be eradicated overnight and that the minors needed to be addressed individually.

“We are on this path,” she added.

Asked about the alleged sexual assault, Kyratzi said the services were investigating the case in cooperation with the police, the authorities responsible for children and the Larnaca municipality.

Larnaca mayor Andreas Vyras said about 20 minors were moved to the OAP home three months ago.

“We received a few complaints in the beginning, but later these intensified and multiplied. A fortnight ago we received a letter from residents in the area reporting various problems arising from the presence of the unaccompanied minors” at the home, Vyras said.

After receiving the letter, the municipality contacted the Social Welfare Services.

“I don’t believe the solution of the problem is moving the unaccompanied minors to an OAP home, as underaged people cannot be housed together with the elderly and indeed people with serious health problems,” Vyras pointed out.

He added that the 20 minors had been housed at a Larnaca coastal hotel, however they were moved after they caused trouble.

Vyras said they were moved to the OAP house without seeking cooperation from the municipality.

“We were not informed of this action and what has happened is totally unacceptable,” he said.

Meanwhile, more people are coming forward with complaints.

Staff said two of the female carers had handed in their resignations over the past few weeks.

Diko MP Christos Orphanides, who visited the home on Thursday morning, told Philenews that a female member of the staff had complained but “unfortunately her complaints had not be examined or investigated, were considered annoying and their stance and behaviour led her to resign.”

Orphanides said 11 minors were set to be relocated on Thursday to five different facilities in Famagusta and six in Larnaca. The remaining five will be relocated on Monday, he added.

Carer at the facility, Christothea Ellina, said the staff and the nine people housed at the OAP home, among them people with disabilities and others bedridden, were living in fear.

Ellina said the welfare services said they had nowhere to relocate the minors.

“We were not informed. They didn’t take us into account. This is my opinion and I want to state it publicly. We were on the sidelines. They took a carer from the elderly to work in another department,” she said.

She explained that the home was understaffed, with only one carer on duty at a time.

Ellina said carers were taking crockery and cutlery from home, as there was none left in the facility.