Interior Minister Nuhodžić satisfied with results achieved, Montenegro one of safest tourist destinations

Podgorica, Montenegro (25 December 2017) -- During the last season, Montenegro was one of the safest tourist destinations, Interior Minister Mevludin Nuhodžić said, adding that this was due to the dedicated and strenuous work of the Ministry of the Interior and the Police Authority.

"According to the available data and the impression of tourists who stayed in Montenegro, our country was one of the safest tourist destinations in the region and beyond," Minister Nuhodžić underlined while making a guest appearance on national broadcaster TVCG earlier this morning.

As Minister Nuhodžić pointed out, the state border is also secure - there were no incidents, traffic of people and goods flowed smoothly, and it was a border with minimum retention in the peak of the tourist season in the region and even beyond.

"I put special emphasis on this given the fact that our border was crossed by 18 million people in the first 10 months of this year," noted Minister Nuhodžić.

Observing the work of the Ministry of the Interior by sector, he said all sectors operate in a professional manner and that it implies mutual coordination, which depends on the enthusiasm of all. In that regard, the work of the ministry’s departments, which are in daily contact with the citizens, has been improved, with 50,000 applications for the issue of personal documents being processed within a time limit shorter than the those prescribed by the law. He particularly emphasised the preservation of a stable public order and peace in 2017.

"Despite the fact that there were violations of public order, peace and security, which caused, in certain cases, justified reaction of citizens, good results were achieved when it comes to public order and peace and the overall security. Particularly good results were achieved in the last six months," the Interior Minister explained.

Furthermore, members of the personal security sector worked professionally, and their professionalism was specifically confirmed by securing the arrival of US Vice President Mike Pence, he added.

Minister Nuhodžić stated that, compared to 2016, the crime rate has decreased in 2017.

When asked about the extent to which security risks at regional and international levels, such as organised crime, international terrorism and extremism, might have an impact on the overall security in Montenegro, Minister Nuhodzić said that regional instability in particular can have an impact on Montenegro, that at this moment it is not such a strong reflection, but that the competent authorities are ready to tackle all the challenges. With this in mind, the competent authorities are in daily communication with the services of the region and monitor all activities with sufficient care and caution.

In that regard, Montenegro has also adopted the Schengen Action Plan aimed at integrating border management, because, as the Minister pointed out, a quality border is the first dam in the fight against all forms of crime and global threats.

Answering the question about the level of cooperation between the police and the Prosecutor's Office, Minister Nuhodžić said that he is satisfied with the cooperation.

"I think that successful fight against crime requires criminal court policy which is adequate to the degree of social danger posed by these crimes," said Nuhodžić.

When it comes to preventing violence against women, he pointed out that this will be one of the priorities in the next year. He announced the setting up of an Operational Team for Combating Domestic Violence, Violence against Wome and Peer Violence, which will be composed of police officers, representatives of other competent institutions and the civil sector. When it comes to the Police Authority, 33 police officers are currently dealing with this issue, and training of 53 more is underway.

Speaking about the goals and priorities for the next year, Minister Nuhodžić said that in the field of legislation, the passing of the Law on Foreigners and the Law on the Ministry of Internal is underway. In addition, the Ministry will also focus on the implementation of projects within Schengen, continuation of modernisation and equipping of the Emergency Situations Sector, as well as the start of A pilot project implementation in a municipality on the coast, which implies video surveillance of public spaces, as a good way of dealing with organised crime.

As to the work of the Police Authority, the particular attention will be paid to suppressing domestic violence crime, violence against women and peer violence, as well as preventing the street sale of drugs, while the top priority will be the continuation of the fight against organised crime, Minister Nuhodžić stressed. He pointed out that this fight is complex because of its rootedness, organisation, financial power, sophisticated technics and methods, but he is hopeful that the results will be getting better in that area.

"There is almost no country in the world with no clashes among the organised criminal gangs, with different levels and different intensity. This is the case in Montenegro as well, but the intensive and operational actions and preventive work of the police significantly reduced the intensity and consequences of these clashes and the number of potential crimes committed by members of organised crime gangs," Minister Nuhodžić concluded.

PUBLIC RELATIONS SERVICE OF THE GOVERNMENT OF MONTENEGRO