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By decision of prime minister Alexis Tsipras, journalist Yannis Roubatis was appointed director of Greece’s National Intelligence Service (NIS).

Yannis Roubatis was born on 3 July 1948, in Ioannina. He studied in the US, and holds a doctoral degree in international relations from Johns Hopkins University in Washington.

Roubatis was To Vima’s correspondent in Washington. After Andreas Papandreou came to power in 1981, Roubatis became the prime minister’s special adviser on international media.

In March 1987, he was appointed government spokesman and remained as such until June 1988, when Papandreou decided to restore Dimitris Maroudas to the post.

Roubatis was a PASOK MEP from 1994 to 1999, and acted as deputy-chair of the PES parliamentary group over the period 1995-1999.

In 1987, he published The Trojan Horse: The US Penetration In Greece, 1947-1967, based on his doctoral dissertation. The book blamed both the contemporary American governments and the Greek post-civil war right for allowing the American secret services to meddle in Greek affairs.

Meanwhile, the new government has begun to implement changes in the field of security and public order. They are based on mergers and the creation of a flexible structure.

The new government decided to combine the former ministries of interior, of administrative reform and e-governance, of public order and the protection of citizens and of Macedonia and Thrace into the new super-Ministry of Interior and Administrative Reconstruction.

Although Independent Greeks had shown a keen interest towards the current ministry of public order, SYRIZA finally kept it for itself. This was dictated by the stark disagreements between the two parties on issues regarding government employees in uniform and the police’s role.

Along similar lines, the current structure of the Greek police will be subject to ‘internal reform’.

As SYRIZA officials said at a recent meeting with the Greek uniformed officer unions, the riot police (MAT) would be immediately disbanded. However, infantry and motorised patrols will be reinforced.

Another measure SYRIZA proposes to trade unionists is the merger of rapid response forces DELTA, DIAS and ZITA into a single motorized force, with patrolling as its single function. Unionists are taking positively to these changes.

As far as police disarmament is concerned, it was explained that it would mostly affect the newly created public order service, the employees of which would be split according to their functions. One section would comprise unarmed uniformed officers tasked with providing security to public gatherings or sports events. The riot squad – the role so far played by MAT – will only intervene when absolutely necessary. SYRIZA’s programme argues it is necessary to create a "popular police, which will be with the citizens around the clock".