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Minister Nuhodžić at Salzburg Forum conference: Montenegrin police record increased number of detected human trafficking crimes

Published on: Nov 7, 2019 8:00 PM Author: PR Service
"Montenegro is undertaking intensive activities to combat illegal migration and smuggling of people, through strengthening coordination and synergy with partner police services from the region and Europe, risk analysis and intelligence gathering and exchange," Minister of the Interior Mevludin Nuhodžić said today at the Salzburg Forum Ministerial Conference in Vienna.

Minister Nuhodžić emphasised that significant efforts had been made in the previous period to improve the migration management system, improve the personnel and technical capacities of the Police Directorate, as well as strengthen measures to prevent illegal border crossings. "Since January this year, through proactive work of Montenegrin investigators, 51 criminal offenses of illegal crossing of the state border and trafficking in human beings were detected, which were prosecuted by filing 20 criminal charges against 60 persons. Compared to 2018, the number of detected crimes has increased by 40. In this context, it is especially important that we continuously exchange information on smuggling networks operating in key source, transit and destination countries," Nuhodžić noted. Furthermore, he stressed the importance of forming joint teams in order to conduct criminal investigations and prosecute smugglers as efficiently as possible. He also recalled that an Agreement between Montenegro and the European Union on actions implemented by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (FRONTEX) was signed in October, which will, among other things, contribute to a more effective fight against human trafficking.

Minister Nuhodžić pointed out that Montenegro is a reliable partner in regional and global cooperation, and is ready to continue, in accordance with its capacities, to contribute to working together in countering security challenges and threats. "No country can tackle cross-border issues, such as organised crime, illegal migration and terrorism, on its own. Only by joining forces and coordinated activities can we achieve even better results in detecting and combating illegal migration and smuggling of people," the Interior Minister concluded.
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