The Bureau for Operational Coordination of Intelligence and Security Sector Bodies (BOK) has once again requested urgent amendments to criminal legislation with the aim of extending detention until first-instance verdicts for serious crimes, as well as defining violations of supervision measures as a separate criminal offense.
BOK Coordinator Aleksa Bečić announced that the Bureau discussed several issues related to the activities of intelligence and security sector bodies at the session, which was attended by the Minister of Internal Affairs Danilo Šaranović.
He recalled that over the past two years, due to the inefficient actions of judicial authorities, the BOK has repeatedly publicly requested legal amendments aimed at extending detention for serious crimes from three to five years until first-instance verdicts are issued, as well as defining violation of supervision measures as a separate criminal offense.
"The BOK once again appeals, insists and demands that urgent amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code and the Criminal Code be adopted as soon as possible, as they represent issues that directly affect the rule of law, the fight against organized crime and the security situation," Bečić said in a statement.
He said that the BOK, as a fundamental reform step, emphasized the need to adopt the law on internal affairs and the National Security Agency, especially from the aspect of personnel empowerment and integrity protection, or the continuation of building a professional, credible and resilient security sector.
As Bečić added, the BOK affirms the fact that the amendments to the Law on Weapons are in the final stage of harmonization with the European Commission, after which it will be ready for further procedure and adoption.
"The BOK highlighted hybrid action as one of the key security challenges, which has reached its peak in recent times when it comes to attempts to destabilize the security environment, with the proposal that this issue be treated as one of the national priorities in the fight against serious and organized crime," said Bečić.
The session, as stated in the statement, highlighted the record results achieved in the fight against serious and organized crime, and noted the progress made over the past year compared to the year before.
"Special focus was placed on continuous attacks on the drug and tobacco mafia, then economic crime and an increase in the number of prosecuted persons by 50 percent, money laundering and an increase in the number of prosecuted persons by as much as 184 percent, tax evasion and an increase in the number of prosecuted persons by 109 percent, as well as environmental crime and an increase in the number of criminal reports filed by 20 percent," the statement added.
It is emphasized that the BOK also highlighted the results achieved in the areas of action on warrants, within which 1.138 people were arrested over the past two years, which is an increase of 100 percent compared to 2022 to 2023, when 610 people were arrested.
Bečić said that the BOK noted that activities in the implementation of the Law on Foreigners have significantly intensified and that last year can be considered a record year compared to 2024.
"A growth of at least 20 percent has been recorded when it comes to filed misdemeanor reports and decisions banning entry, while the number of initiatives to terminate the temporary residence of foreigners has increased by as much as 624 percent," Bečić said.
He said that the BOK also considered other important topics related to resolving the personnel deficit in the Police Directorate, the introduction of a stationary radar system, the interoperability of intelligence and security sector bodies, and further activities on the introduction of a video surveillance system in cities.
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