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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Interior Ministry more successful in fighting crime, corruption

Belgrade, 31 October 2008

First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Ivica Dacic said today he is pleased with the Ministry’s work so far, adding that additional efforts have secured stability in Serbia and increased the safety of citizens and their property.

Author: Tanjug

At a press conference marking the Ministry’s first 100 days in office, Dacic announced the formation of professional police forces which will not tolerate violence or overstep their authority.

As the key step in the EU integration process, the Minister mentioned adoption of the Law on state border and the Law on foreigners, which along with the previously adopted Law on the asylum and the Law on travelling documents fulfil conditions for visa regime liberalisation. He added that this can be expected by mid-2009.

The Minister stressed that the agreement on strategic cooperation signed between the Interior Ministry and EUROPOL was a step forward in EU integration, adding that it created a legal framework for strengthening cooperation between Serbia and all EU member countries concerning the fight against terrorism, organised crime and cross-border crime.

The protocol on cooperation in the fight against crime signed with Romania and Bulgaria is also important in this respect and it primarily concerns the fight against cross-border crime such as drugs and human trafficking, said Dacic.

Dacic said that an agreement on bilateral cooperation was signed with Greece, announcing that a similar agreement will be signed with Italy in December.

The Serbian police force today has become an important contributor to stability in the region, because these agreements were signed on Serbia’s initiative, said Dacic, adding that organised crime does not take borders into account.

According to Dacic, all police forces in the region must put up a joint fight against organised and particularly cross-border crime through cooperation and exchange of information.

The Minister said that a good example of joint action against crime is cooperation between Croatian and Serbian police in investigation into the murder of editor of the news magazine Nacional Ivo Pukanic in Zagreb.

Dacic said that Croatian police expressed gratitude for the information provided by Serbia’s Interior Ministry, adding that he will meet with Croatia’s Interior Minister next week.

He stressed that Serbia has shown full willingness to cooperate with the Hague tribunal and the team for cooperation headed by Rasim Ljajic has proved this at several occasions.

He said that there is no fresh information concerning the whereabouts of the remaining two Hague indictees Ratko Mladic and Goran Hadzic, stressing that all information received until now from abroad and through domestic sources was verified and found to be inaccurate.

The Minister said that as ordered by the prosecutor’s office the police check all information about the locations where the Hague indictees might be hiding, adding that voluntary surrender would be the best solution to conclude cooperation with the Hague tribunal.

Dacic said that Mladic and Hadzic are now holding the entire nation hostage, announcing that Hague tribunal’s Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz will visit Belgrade next month.

Dacic stressed that the Ministry of the Interior has fought against all kinds of crime and corruption in Serbia and thus increased safety in the country.

He noted that since the government’s formation in June, crime has not risen in comparison with the previous months, and the number of the severest crimes has been reduced.

He recalled that the police have successfully fought against drug-related crime, which is the prevalent form of organised crime in Serbia, adding that they uncovered 11 criminal groups dealing with illegal drug trade.

Dacic specified that the police conducted 2,043 confiscations during which a total of 922.7 kilos of various drugs were seized.

The Minister said that the Interior Ministry uncovered two organised criminal groups that had obtained financial benefit of more than €7 million.

Dacic stressed that efficiency has always been the Ministry’s priority, adding that the serious fight against crime and corruption has considerably increased the state security level.

According to him, that is a necessary precondition for setting up the rule of law and for functioning of the market economy.

Dacic pointed out that by developing organised strategic plans, the Ministry has successfully dealt with serious security challenges and risks jeopardising social values and slowing down the integration and transition processes.

He also said that the security in Bujanovac, Presevo and Medvedja has been preserved.

The Minister added that the government also works well, adding that there has not been over-voting at its sessions and the coalition agreement has been fully implemented.