Minister of the Interior Danilo Šaranović announced the search for Alija Balijagić from Bijelo Polje, who is suspected of the double murder of Milenko and Jovan Madžgalje in the village of Sokolac near Bijelo Polje.
He says that all available resources of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Police Administration and the Army of Montenegro are engaged day and night - both in the search for the suspect and in ensuring the peace and security of all the villages of the Vrane Valley.
He also said that "the most detailed investigation will be carried out and the responsibility for possible failures to act will be determined, above all of every police official, including the police officer."
"Dear citizens, first of all, I want to convey to you that since October 25, the day when Milenka and Jovan Madžgalj were brutally killed, the competent authorities have been united in the primary task: to bring the suspected fugitive, Alija Balijagić, to justice as soon as possible. In for this purpose, all available resources of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Police Administration and the Army of Montenegro are engaged day and night - both in the search for the suspect and in ensuring the peace and security of all the villages of Vraneška Valley. Be assured that justice will be achieved with the strong and coordinated support of the institutions security.
"I must hereby state the insufficiently responsible and often untruthful way of commenting, analyzing and reporting certain representatives of political entities, individuals, former police officers, which without a doubt could have negative implications for the safety of certain residents of this area, and which definitely does not contribute to the efficiency of action police and army in search of Balijagić.
"When talking about blanket assessments about the alleged incompetence of state authorities in arresting Balijagić, I consider it important to introduce you, respected citizens, to a few key facts. Montenegro does not remember this level of dedication and commitment of resources in the search for one person. First of all, the word is about a person who spent more than three decades in prisons for serious crimes, while during periods of freedom he mostly stayed in forested, hard-to-reach areas on the border of Montenegro and Serbia.This environment, which he knows well, gives him a certain advantage in hiding However, this in no way diminishes our commitment in this search. Since the day this tragic event occurred, an average of 200 police officers and 70 members of the Montenegrin Army have been participating in the search every day, searching the complex mountainous and rural terrain, which includes over 100 that the conditions of the terrain and the nature of the search are extremely demanding are also confirmed by colleagues from the Serbian police, who, as you could hear publicly, have been working for days in the search for Balijagic in the territory with the most elite police units and the most modern equipment, in full coordination with our police of the Republic of Serbia.
"Although finding Balijagić is our priority and a goal to which we are uncompromisingly committed, I guarantee you with full personal and professional responsibility that the most detailed investigation will be conducted and the responsibility for possible failures in action will be determined, above all of every police official, including the police officer. Otherwise , the performance of any state duty would be pointless.
"It is clear that responsibility cannot be addressed to the new management for the current situation in the police force - for the never-greater personnel deficit of 1.500 missing police officers, for the poor state of material and technical resources, for the presence in the service of a number of police officers whose professional integrity is suspected and connections with crime, inherited for the most part the leadership of the police, and the well-known fact that none of the three directors of the Police Directorate in the past year was my personnel choice. However, I want to take responsibility for the 'healing' of the police and ensuring the integrity of every police officer , and the improvement of the existing situation, which has been significantly improved in the past year. It is objectively necessary to mention that due to well-known circumstances, the conditions for the implementation of personnel reforms in the police have not been created, which will be done as soon as possible, which I will insist on unconditionally there must not and will be no place for any individual who is not capable of responding to a police call and who is not worthy of an honorable police uniform.
"That is why we decidedly started implementing the strictest control mechanisms for checking the integrity of both those who work in the police and future police officers, which caused nervousness among supporters of the supporters of the former regime. You will understand that on the way to achieving full public trust in the police, a general social support, but also the support of all decision-makers, which, I believe, will be more decisive in the period ahead. Only with joint effort and mutual support can we move forward," Šaranović said.
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