Despite thousands of years of existence, there is not a bedrock common consensus on the number of Greek islands. Counts range from 1200 to 6000 – depending on how you define "island". for example, Patmos has several small islands just off its shores – some so close people can and do swim to them. Do those count as islands in their own right? Or are they essentially satellites of Patmos? Politically, they are counted as the latter.
Similarly, there are disagreements on how many of these islands are inhabited - ranging from 166 to 227 (the number I've read the most) and probably driven by the status of an inhabited island. For example, nearby Arki has only a "settlement" – perhaps 50 people at most in a few houses, no town, no public services. There isn't even a stop sign because there's only one small road. Politically, it's under the administration of Patmos which itself falls subordinate to Kalymnos and Rhodes for many things. I would call Arki an inhabited island of its own, but perhaps in some administrative circles, it's just a satellite of Patmos.
However many inhabited islands there are – many of them have small populations like Patmos. The Greek government believes small island populations should not police themselves. As a result, police officers are brought in from other parts of Greece, usually for rotations of defined lengths – similar to a military tour of duty. A similar thing happens with teachers and doctors – only from more of a "rural medicine" type perspective because Patmos just doesn't have its own physicians or enough teachers to staff the schools.
By design, Patmians don't really know their police officers and there's a natural distance and distrust on an island where otherwise, everyone knows everyone else. Police are outsiders whose presence is necessary and tolerated – but not completely welcome.
In 2019, Emily and I asked our friend Nicholas whose family is an old Patmian family with significant land holdings if he knew the police.
"No, I don't know them and I don't WANT to know them!" replied the man who drives slowly down the main road around the marina to wave to people, sometimes rolling down his window and yelling "Hellas!" at them.
Several locals have shared with me their annoyance that during 2020, when Patmos was completely cut off from the world for couple of months and there hadn't been a single case of COVID (that came after ferry service was restored), police enforced the nationally mandated quarantine measures the same as everywhere else in Greece. Watching the gorgeous sunset at Chokaklas Beach was a simple pleasure Patmians not only could, but now had time to stop and enjoy. Only police wouldn't allow anyone to sit or stand still – being outdoors was for exercise only so sunset watchers had to keep moving. As one might expect, this didn't go down well with the locals.
Friday evening, the largest gathering of police I have ever seen formed a "block" from our house. They were clustered around Trihanderi seafood restaurant talking to one another, patrons, business owners and taking lots of notes in books and forms. There were TWO police cars present which is tantamount to a military mobilization.
None of this stopped me and the kids from walking casually by the scene as if nothing was happening – we were of absolutely no interest to the police, nor was any area roped off. I found Andreas whose gelato shop is next door to Trihanderi standing, watching, vaping with a facial expression that said he was watching a group of idiots. He told me someone on a motorscooter came speeding down the theoretically pedestrian-only street – which is not truly pedestrian-only because deliveries and residents acceptably violate the rules when they consider it necessary, or as I told my friend Barrett "they're not allowed to drive here unless they really, really want to".
What made this time different is that the rider tragically hit a pedestrian. Clearly not badly enough to need an ambulance, but impact had taken place. So while on a normal day we can all pretend riding your motorscooter up to your shop or home along a pedestrian-only street isn't a violation, hitting someone makes it impossible to look the other way.
I never saw or learned who got hit – but I'm told they're okay.
The next day around the same time, the saga continued. The police were back at Trihanderi, this time interviewing a few people and handing out forms to the business owners on the block – I believe taking statements. It was the most police work I've ever seen on Patmos.
Today, several young officers were present at the front of town, near the ferry dock. The area in front of the bread bakery has never been zoned for parking, but always used as the parking lot for running in and out of the shops in that part of town or dropping family members off at the ferry. To all of our shock, the police we clearing illegal parkers out of the area!
First, the Executive Vice President of the University of Washington when I was a student reporter once told me that a smart leader paves the cow paths. If people are using a space in a particular way, maybe it's worth examining why and if it's possible to address the need. As I saw the police clearing people out of what has always made sense as a defecto short-term parking lot, I felt the outrage of a local. Those spots make sense! Why would anyone interfere in a good working system?
Then it hit me that whatever's going on, the police are making changes. Maybe it's the new mayor who is sort of our neighbor since he owns Cafe Mostra in front of our house? He's young and trying to make changes. Maybe the regional or national governments are trying to get things in better order for the peak of tourist season? Maybe the current rotation has a police chief who is more of a stickler? I'm not sure – but whatever it is, the police are on the move.
In more than one way.
Yesterday Eirini and Alessandro told Sennen he won't be able to work for them for a few more days. Apparently, there's a tax collector/special police officer on the island that is going to every business looking at their receipts, setups, papers and checking their payrolls.
"They check the papers of each employee and if anyone doesn't belong, they fine you 10,000 euros!" Eirini said. "I understand why – you don't want people to be taken advantage of and there are such people who do this. But going to each person and checking everything is just too much!"
Hence Sennen has to stay out of the way until the inspector leaves the island. Eirini doesn't need to pay 10,000 euros over an 11 year-old who stamps bags for a couple of hours a week.
That wasn't Eirini's bigger complaint. In fact, her issue of the day might well tie to why Prokopis was waxing poetic yesterday. The inspectors are carefully enforcing tax collecting procedures because of the new, higher VAT rates: 24 percent for general goods and 13 percent for grocery-type food items.
These numbers seem galling to both Eirini and Prokopis both because 24 is a very high percentage in general but even more because the idea of taxing groceries seems very unfair to them. Admittedly, a I've always understood it, the reason groceries are exempt for sales tax in the United States is because it places an unfair burden on the poor for whom a much larger percentage of their income goes to basic subsistence.
This is on top of already steep income tax rates. Greeks making less than 22,000 euros per year already have a 22 percent income tax which ranges up to 45 percent for those making in excess of 45,000 euros per year. One can argue the average Greek gets more from their taxes than the average American given nationalized healthcare, free university and numerous social welfare programs which have far more people on the government payroll than in America. All the same, it seems these new tax rates are beyond the pale of what a Patmian business owner can condone.
The obvious concern, especially to someone like Eirini who has a tourist-oriented shop, is inflation. Rising prices are bad for business. Of further complication for Eirini, her shop sells some items that qualify as groceries and then a lot that don't – so she's prime for scrutiny by a detailed, prying inspector.
"People are scared!" Eirini explained. "We've never had someone going door-to-door looking to fine us."
Perhaps the fear comes from the fact that not everyone scrupulously keeps their books and receipts. Many businesses – particularly lodging and car rentals – give cash discounts. Dimitris gives me a special rate on my car so long as I pay the majority of my bill in cash – and I'm not sure the receipts quite reflect the transactions….
Either way, it seems Greece's generally centrist government may be trying to make-up for accusations of corruption. Or perhaps simply to maximize revenues from the country's tourist centers. After all, the Dodecanese accounts for a lot of the country's tourism and Patmos is not so profitable in January.
I'm hardly informed enough to judge whether these new tax or law enforcement measures around the island are "good" or even beneficial – and if so, to whom. But I can see the shock they're creating. Is it long past time Patmians start paying their fair share? Or is the national government bad for business? It probably depends on where you sit.
But I do take exception with my five-minute illegal parking spot. Some informal rules are there for a reason. Give a guy with kids in the backseat trying to pick up a quick spanakopita a break!
