walls with barbed wire in- between and has an average height of 3 metres. 56 It runs exclusively on Greek soil and is alleged to be at its closest only one meter away from the Turkish border. In terms of cost, a private company undertook the erection of the fence at a price of EUR 3.16 million, paid exclusively by national resources. In order to make such an expensive undertaking possible, Greece had to amend its national law, as the Hellenic Police was at the time allowed to implement projects with a lower ceiling. The final price included the building alone as the design and building study had been done by the Greek authorities. According to the media the overall actual cost was as high as EUR 7,5 million. Operation Shield (Aspida) Three months before the completion of the Evros fence, Operation Shield (Aspida) was launched. Its main purpose was to control and deter irregular arrivals by strengthening the physical presence of patrol officers at the Greek-Turkish land border. 57 Operation Shield was launched on 2 August 2012 and its first phase lasted until 2 February 201358, during which 1,881 police officers were deployed.59 Contrary to the Evros fence that covered only a 5% of the overall land border between Greece and Turkey, Operation Shield spread all along the 206 km riverline. While most officers were assigned border management duties, part of the staff were assigned reception and screening duties, including asylum management and informing irregular immigrants about their rights.60 Upon completion of the first phase, Operation Shield was extended until June 2013 and has since continued. The initial phase, lasting 6 months, cost a total of EUR 16 million. Its 5-month extension until June 2013 cost a further EUR 8 million, raising thus the total cost to EUR 24 million.61 As the number of irregular migrants entering through the specific land strip decreased, the number of 56 See Police Headquarters, Ministry of Citizen Protection, Announcement of Public Consultation for the Technical Descriptions and Technical Features of a Barrier on the Greek-Turkish Land border in the Evros region, August 2011, available at http://s.enet.gr/resources/article-files/04-08-11_texnhto_empodio.pdf ; See “Ολοκληρώθηκε ο Φράχτης στον Έβρο”, Kathimerini newspaper, 16 December 2012, available at http://www.kathimerini.gr/22730/article/epikairothta/ellada/oloklhrw8hke-o-fraxths-ston-evro 57 See Minister of Citizen Protection, Parliamentary Reply of 23 August 2012, available at http://www.hellenicparliament.gr/UserFiles/67715b2c-ec81-4f0c-ad6a-476a34d732bd/7696899.pdf 58 The Operation was first announced on 30 July 2012. It was initialy aimed to last only two months, but has continued ever since. See Frontex, Fran Quarterly, Issue 3, July-September 2012, available at http://frontex.europa.eu/assets/Publications/Risk_Analysis/FRAN_Q3_2012.pdf 59 783 Border Guards were posited under the Alexandroupolis Police Directorate and 745 to the Orestiada Police Directorate. 140 border guards were sent to to the Police Durectorate of Xanthi and a further 213 to Rodopi. 60 On the selection process of the personnel, see Minister of Citizen Protection, Parliamentary Reply of 23 August 2012, available at http://www.hellenicparliament.gr/UserFiles/67715b2c-ec81-4f0c-ad6a-476a34d732bd/7696899.pdf 61 See Ministry of Citizen Protection, Revised National Action Plan on Greek Asylum and Migration Management, 2013, p. 96 Page 28