The International Operations Room, which will be the central point for coordination and exchange of information among institutions responsible for law enforcement, was officially opened today in Podgorica, at the premises of the Police Directorate, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP) announced.
The Ministry of Interior said that the operations room was officially opened by the relevant Minister Danilo Šaranović and the Acting Director of the Police Administration Lazar Šćepanović, together with the Ambassadors of Italy and Germany, Andrea Marcello and Peter Felten, and the Head of the Cooperation Department at the Delegation of the European Union (EU), Ingve Engstrom.
"The operations room, located in the premises of the Police Directorate, will be the central point for coordination and exchange of information among institutions responsible for law enforcement," the statement said.
It is stated that the operations room will operate according to the SPOC 24/7 (Single Point of Contact) Operations Center model, providing a single point of contact for international cooperation in real time.
Šaranović said that the Ministry of Interior is opening the door to advanced international police cooperation and laying the foundations for a modern and efficient information exchange system.
"This center is the result of a strategic vision and dedicated work of our institutions, and with its establishment, the Ministry of Interior takes another step in the credibility of our system to continue to benefit the collective security system," said Šaranović.
Šćepanović emphasized that the opening of this center, as the only one of its kind in the Western Balkans, reflects a commitment to establishing the highest standards in strengthening capacities to combat all security threats.
"The opening of this center is part of Montenegro's strategic adjustment to European standards and harmonization with the EU Directive on the Exchange of Information in International Police Cooperation," the Ministry of Interior said.
They said that the project is being implemented with the support of EU4FAST and GIZ and that its completion will enable more efficient, secure and faster communication with EUROPOL, EU member states and other international partners through international communication channels.
"Officers of the Police Administration, Customs Administration and Tax Administration, as well as other state bodies, will be able to exchange intelligence information among themselves and with foreign partners through secure international communication channels (SIENA, INTERPOL, SELEC, as well as liaison officer communication channels)," the statement said.
This, as stated by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, represents a major step in harmonization with European standards of international police cooperation.
"The opening ceremony was attended by representatives of the EU4FAST project team, international organizations such as Interpol, Europol and Frontex, as well as representatives of the single points of contact of the Western Balkan countries," said the government department.
They stated that this further confirmed the importance of the project at the regional and global levels.
The Ministry of Interior said that, in addition to the Police Directorate, representatives of the Customs Administration and the Tax Administration, as well as other state bodies, will also have access to the Operations Center, which will further strengthen inter-institutional cooperation and improve the exchange of information.
As they said, this strengthens the capacities of all competent authorities in the fight against crime and security challenges, positioning Montenegro as an active and reliable partner in international police cooperation.
"The SPOC 24/7 Operations Center, as the first of its kind in a country in the Western Balkans, confirms that Montenegro is keeping pace with modern security standards and creating the prerequisites for an even more effective fight against organized crime and other security challenges," the statement said.
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