SE Europe's police chiefs meet in Belgrade

Source: Tanjug

BELGRADE -- This year's General Assembly of the of Southeast Europe Police Chiefs Association (SEPCA) was held in Belgrade on Wednesday.

(Tanjug)

Addressing the gathering, Serbian Interior Minister Nebojša Stefanović said the country's Serbian Ministry of Interior (MUP) "will maximize is contribution to the fight against crime in the country, the region and Europe."
Opening the SEPCA annual meeting, Stefanović pointed out that the Interior Ministry would act to ensure respect for and enforcement of the law and to preserve the stability of public order and peace and security of the citizens on the territory of Serbia.

At the same time, it will be a reliable partner in the region and honestly cooperate with European police services, the minister said.

He said he was looking forward to the signing of a new memorandum of understanding concerning the work of SEPCA by the regional police chiefs during the meeting in Belgrade.

Pointing out that Serbia chaired SEPCA last year, Stefanović said that it had been then that an idea of creating a new and modern association that would offer an even faster and more efficient response to the key security challenges facing the region and Europe had been conceived.

“In this sense, I believe that our future activities will focus on strengthening the strategic capacity at the regional level, with the aim of improving our joint fight against organized and other forms of serious crime," said Stefanović.

Serbian Police Director Milorad Veljović pointed to the importance of the joint fight against all forms of organized crime and willingness to continue to cooperate in joint tasks in that fight.

“Crime is taking on new forms today and we must always be ready, if not even a step ahead of those on the other side of the law in order to protect the security in the region," said Veljović.

He stressed that the Serbian police had long been calling for stepping up international cooperation, not only with the countries in the region, but also with the EU member states and all other police forces in the world.

“Aware of the fact that organized crime and other forms of serious crime know no borders, we are committed to strengthening and improving this cooperation in the future,” said Veljovic.

He pointed out that the Serbian Interior Ministry was implementing reforms in Serbia's police sector and one of its key priorities was the fight against organized and other forms of serious crime.

Stressing that the reforms in the sector, backed by the government, were aimed at creating a modern, efficient and democratic police that would comply with relevant EU standards and models, Veljović said it was necessary that the police had a high degree of integrity and a successful strategic management model.

The SEPCA General Assembly meeting is being attended by representatives of numerous international bodies responsible for providing security and fighting against crime and by representatives of Europol.

"Strategic level cooperation"

Police officials of Serbia, Austria and Switzerland underlined on Wednesday the need to strengthen mutual cooperation in the fight against crime in the region of Southeast Europe and throughout the continent.

During a break in the General Assembly of the Southeast Europe Police Chiefs Association (SEPCA), police officials of the three countries addressed reporters and expressed readiness to promote the cooperation "on a strategic level."

Serbian Chief of Police Milorad Veljović said that the fight against organized crime cannot be waged on one's own and partially. “The only way to persist in this fight is through cooperation, which must be genuine and well-intentioned in order to yield results,” Veljovic pointed out.

The Serbian police are fully committed to the fight against organized crime, where no one will be protected or spared, he stressed.

Director of the Austrian Federal Criminal Office Franz Lang said that the Southeast Europe is very important for the security system of the entire continent and underlined the significance of joining forces in crime fighting.

Noting that he is happy to see Austria take part in the promotion of law enforcement services in the region, Lang said that this cooperation will be made official by the signing of a memorandum of understanding at the SEPCA General Assembly session on Wednesday.

Rene Wohlhauser of the Swiss Federal Criminal Police voiced confidence that police forces in the region will be able to step up the fight against organized crime through mutual cooperation.

"I can confirm that the cooperation between the police of Serbia and other SEPCA members with the Swiss police is good and built on mutual trust," he said.

Assistant Director of EUROPOL Christian Jechoutek welcomed the coming changes in SEPCA, noting specifically that they will be introduced based on the agreement of its members. This will make SEPCA an even stronger partner in the fight against all aspects of organized crime, he stressed.

According to Jechoutek, the changes in SEPCA will facilitate closer operative cooperation between EUROPOL and police forces in countries of the Southeast Europe.

Serbian chief of police wished success to the interior minister of Albania, which is set to take over the SEPCA chairmanship today, stressing that the cooperation between police forces of the two countries is vital for the region's security.