POLICE

After the multiple murders that took place on 3 and 4 May 2023, the Government of Serbia adopted a series of measures to improve gun control and increase safety in schools and among youth. The aim of this study is to evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of these measures. The research was based on different sources of data: the state authorities’ official reports, expert literature, media reports, interviews conducted ...

BCSP Researcher Marija Ignjatijević analyses parliamentary oversight of the police in Serbia through the lens of the European integration process and offers recommendations on how to connect it to the negotiating Chapter 24 – Justice, Freedom and Security.

The topic of this meeting was reporting and discussion on the results of the implementation of the revised Action Plan for Chapter 24. Additionally, both progresses achieved in Chapter 24 and the work on the Draft Law on Internal Affairs were presented. The continuation of the dialogue of the Working Group for Chapter 24 of the National Convention on the European Union (NCEU), which is coordinated by BCSP and the Negotiating Group for Chapter 24, which is coordinated by the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP), is planned, including regarding the text of the Draft from the point of view of reaching the transitional criteria in this chapter.

In connection to yesterday’s announcement in which it was declared that six migrants were arrested (among them two people suspected of having committed criminal acts) in an operation aimed at suppressing criminal activity and felonies committed by migrants and in connection to a statement given by the minister Vulin that not one smuggling gang will pass, Belgrade Centre for Security Policy and the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights – YUCOM, demand that the Prosecutor’s office for organized crime, during the processing of human smuggling perpetrators, seriously investigate all the information about the connection between senior officials in the Ministry of Interior and the smugglers.

The Belgrade Centre for Security Policy (BCSP) warns the public that the Draft Law on Internal Affairs contains numerous provisions that, if left unchanged, will jeopardize citizens' guaranteed rights and security, and despite cosmetic changes, preserve political influence on the police work. Therefore, BCSP asks the Ministry of Interior to consider the comments received from organizations in the public debate and prevent potential damage resulting from the Draft's adoption.

The main finding of this research is that there is a large disproportion between the press releases of the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Serbia and the actual number of criminal offence committed on the territory of the Republic of Serbia during the year, and that some criminal offences are more common than others.

The Belgrade Centre for Security Policy and partner organizations, prepared a series of seminars for activists throughout Serbia. In the period from August to December, over 15 meetings and trainings were held in which about 150 activists from local communities participated.

This overview is one of the outputs of the regional project “Western Balkans Security Barometer” (WBSB), led by the Kosovar Centre for Security Studies (KCSS) in partnership with the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy (BCSP) in Serbia. This edition of the WBSB presents the findings of this survey conducted simultaneously in Kosovo and Serbia in September - October 2020.

Citizens of Serbia simultaneously have mutually contradictory views on national and personal security, as well as on the relationship with institutions, according to a public opinion poll presented at a BCSP online event held on November 24.