SERBIA: Citizen safety, preservation of peace, stability – priority tasks for security sector

Serbia - At the end of the handover, Stefanovic pointed out that the fight against organized crime and the most serious crimes is one of the priorities of the Ministry, adding that the police have shown efficiency in detecting perpetrators of criminal offenses and various organized groups in the last year.

He said that the police confirmed that criminals cannot hide from the law,

and expressed the expectation that in the coming years significant funds will be allocated for technical development, in order to strengthen capacities in the fight against organized crime and serious crimes in which firearms are used. The Minister expressed his gratitude to the European Union and UNDP for this donation, which, as he pointed out, will significantly improve the capacities of the ballistics laboratory and small chemical laboratories, which will contribute to the police responding more successfully to all challenges.

Thanks to the responsible work of the employees of the NKTC and in three other regional centers, the Serbian police is more prepared to detect the perpetrators of the most serious crimes, Stefanovic emphasized.

The Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia, Michael Davenport, pointed out that the donation is part of an international campaign in the fight against small arms and light weapons, and expressed his belief that expert knowledge, equipment and resources will contribute to a more successful fight against crime and the protection of citizens.

The UN Resident Coordinator in Serbia, Irena Vjačkova-Solorano, pointed out that the use of small arms and light weapons in criminal offences must be reduced, and that it is therefore necessary to carry out activities to register and reduce the use of firearms, which threaten society and the positive development of the country.

The head of the National Criminal Investigation and Technical Center, Lazar Nešić, stated that the donation of ballistic equipment is of vital importance for improving the security of citizens.

Nesic explained that criminal offenses involving the use of firearms are relatively common in Serbia, and that is why the response of the police and forensics is very important in order to easily and simply identify the weapon used in the criminal offense at a high technical level and provide material evidence.

The specialized ballistic missile equipment, worth more than €50,000, is a donation from the EU through the project "Support to Disarmament and Arms Control Activities in South-East Europe", implemented by the Centre for the Control of Light and Small Arms in Eastern and South-Eastern Europe of the UN Development Programme.

The donation includes IT hardware for the ballistic laboratory, software upgrades for the ballistic identification system, tools for the ballistic workshop, safes for storing evidence, workbenches and specialized equipment for working with weapons, a mini laboratory for ballistic work and work with chemical substances, and a system for monitoring and access to the ballistic laboratory.