Following a complaint from a mother with children attending school on the base, The Khronicles discovered a group of gypsies living in an abandoned building just 200 meters from the school.

"I'm worried," the mother said. "You hear so much about crime and drugs."

 “Unfortunately, our department has no jurisdiction on properties on the base," said Kostas Martimianakis, chief of the Gouves Municipal police. "Thefts in the area have increased this past year and gypsies setting up autarchic camps is not right, especially near schools."

He said he filed papers in May of 2007 and again in August of 2008 with ΚΕΔ, the state-controlled real estate company which is owner of record of the base properties, with copies to the Iraklion main police headquarters and the Hersonisos police station, but he never received an answer from either.

Apparently, in situations such as squatters, which is the case here, the property owner of record, in this case ΚΕΔ, must file a complaint for any legal action to be taken by the national police.

"It's the same if a local citizen owns some land and someone starts living on it," Chief Martimianakis explained. "Without a complaint from the owner, the police can't do anything."

"It's an ongoing problem on the base," he said. "Even when we finally get rid of one group of gypsies, another comes along. They know the red tape involved in trying to get rid of them."

Chief Martimianakis said he would file another paper, and make some calls, but couldn't predict the outcome this time, either. He said even the vice mayor has made calls, also in vain.

"We're all aware of the problem, we only wish we could do more," he said.