Bečić: Both the Škaljari and Kavački clans are attacked every day

Both the Škaljari and Kavački clans are attacked every day, said today Deputy Prime Minister for Security, Defense, Fight against Crime and Internal Policy Aleksa Bečić.

He said this at a press conference of security sector leaders at the Government of Montenegro.

"We have behind us hard days, extremely dedicated and hard work, but filled with a sense of pride and satisfaction because our Montenegro managed to organize the most important gathering in the history of Montenegro," Bečić emphasized.

Bečić thanked the citizens of Montenegro for their understanding, as well as thousands of employees of the Police Directorate, the National Security Agency (ANB), the Army of Montenegro, the President's Office, local institutions...

"Certainly, the backbone was the officers of the intelligence and security sector, or rather the security sector, in which around 2.000 officers from the Police Directorate, the National Security Agency, the Army of Montenegro and the Intelligence and Security Directorate of the Ministry of Defense participated," said Bečić.

At the conference, he also spoke about strengthening the security sector, emphasizing that the fact that there are no longer protected and untouchables is creating nervousness in the ranks of organized crime.

Bečić said at a press conference that Montenegro managed to organize the largest event in its recent history in a dignified and representative manner.

He emphasized that the goal was to ensure the safety and comfort of all delegations in Montenegro, in all places where they stayed, and to prevent any risk that could turn into a problem.

"The goals were achieved, Montenegro proved to be a reliable and responsible host," said Bečić.

According to him, this was possible now, because today there are professional institutions and leaders in the security sector.

"Unlike previous times when entry bans were lifted on regional butchers Belivuk and Miljković, when security sector leaders convinced that there was nothing controversial and that they were friends of Montenegro, and unlike times when security sector institutions were led by people facing serious charges," said Bečić.

He emphasized that Montenegro is building a system of strong institutions, where no one will be stronger than the state.

Bečić stated that since the beginning of his mandate, reforms in the security sector have been moving in several directions - continuous capacity building, strengthening interoperability and trust within the intelligence and security sector, and strengthening international cooperation.

"And that is at a historic high. All of this results in the competent institutions cracking down hard on all forms of organized crime," said Bečić.

Minister of Interior Danilo Šaranović said that Montenegro has shown that it is a country with serious credibility.

Šaranović said that the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP) has issued a new public call for 500 officers.

He said that Montenegro and its intelligence and security sector have once again confirmed their capacity to secure events of the highest order.

"On the occasion of the Tivat Summit, the Montenegrin security sector acted in a coordinated, professional manner and in accordance with the highest international standards," said Šaranović.

He pointed out that all organizational units of the Ministry of Interior and the police, in coordination with the National Security Agency, the Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces of Montenegro, local governments and other competent services, conducted a complex security operation with the aim of protecting all participants and enabling the smooth holding of the Summit.

"This is the result of months of responsible and serious planning, coordination, and dedicated work by a large number of police officers and other members of the security sector," said Šaranović.

As he stated, neither strategic planning nor the use of modern equipment would make sense if there were no reliable, honorable, professional and responsible officers of the police, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and other parts of the security sector.

"I would like to especially thank all members of the police and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, who, with their work, discipline and dedication, contributed to Montenegro once again showing that it is a stable, responsible and serious state," said Šaranović.

He emphasized that it was thanks to these people that Montenegro successfully responded to the challenge of organizing the Summit and confirmed that it is a country with serious credibility and readiness to guarantee security at the highest level.

Šaranović announced that the Ministry of Interior has issued a public call for the recruitment of 500 new officers with the rank of junior police officer, thus continuing the personnel strengthening of the police.

The new public call, according to him, confirms the commitment of the management of the Ministry of the Interior and the Police Directorate to approach the issue of personnel policy in a planned, coordinated and responsible manner.

"This is a response to the situation we found ourselves in - the situation of a personnel deficit," emphasized Šaranović.

He explained that out of 500 new police officers, as many as 248 will be assigned to the border police sector, which confirms that the border issue is one of the key ones for the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Šaranović said that the right to apply is open to adult Montenegrin citizens with a fourth-level education and appropriate health and psychophysical ability to perform police work, and the upper age limit is 32 years or 40 years for those with previous work experience in the security sector.

The Director of the Police Administration, Lazar Šćepanović, assessed that Montenegro has once again shown that it possesses the institutional, security capacity, professionalism, efficiency and ability to organize and secure an event of the greatest international importance and highest rank.

He emphasized that the Summit had historical significance for Montenegro, as it was held at a time when our country is at a key stage of its European path and when international attention is focused on the region and the Western Balkans and its European perspective.

"I would like to point out with particular pleasure that the intelligence and security sector authorities, the Police Directorate, together with the ANB, the Ministry of Defense, which includes the Armed Forces of Montenegro, and the Intelligence and Security Directorate, have undertaken numerous coordinated measures and actions, demonstrating the strength of the state apparatus and a high level of mutual trust and cooperation through a unique and coordinated system of inter-institutional action," said Šćepanović.

As he stated, in this way they demonstrated that Montenegro has built capacities and services capable of responding to the most complex security challenges.

"Preparations for the Summit began back in January, lasting almost six months. During that period, the Police Directorate implemented numerous complex activities that required detailed preparations," said Šćepanović.

He explained that the Operational Headquarters of the Police Directorate represented the central point of management, command, coordination, control and operationalization of all ordered measures and actions, which played a key role in holding the Summit.

"The organization of the event was accompanied by the highest security measures, including surveillance from land, sea and air, protection of protected persons in accordance with the highest international standards, as well as the application of specialized capacity systems that were put into operation to protect the summit participants and ensure the smooth running of the event," said Šćepanović.

He stated that special attention was focused on securing the route of movement of delegations of protected persons and securing the facilities where protected persons are accommodated.

"Over two thousand police officers and other civil servants from all organizational units of the intelligence and security sector were engaged in the implementation of this security operation," said Šćepanović, adding that at one point, over 1,5 thousand police officers were engaged in securing the protected individuals and their arrival and movement routes.

He stated that the entire system functioned flawlessly.

"Confirmation of success is the fact that the Summit took place without a single incident. The chain of command and management functioned in an integrated and efficient manner, and the safety of the participants and the event itself was never in question," added Šćepanović.

He added that through timely and decisive action, the services successfully neutralized everything that aimed to disrupt stability and security and the event, which confirmed the system's ability to act preventively and respond to every challenge.

Asked whether they had requested information from the Serbian Security Intelligence Agency (BIA) about their allegations that Radoje Zvicer was hiding in Montenegro, Šćepanović replied that the Police Directorate had immediately requested information from the Serbian law enforcement authorities and that to date they had not received a response regarding Zvicer.

When asked whether he would check whether the 87 Serbian citizens who were returned from Tivat airport participated in extinguishing the fire on Luštica, he said that he did not know whether that group belonged to firefighters, stating that after landing, these individuals were placed under control in order to take operational and informed measures.

"Considering that among these 87 individuals are prominent fans who participated in numerous demonstrations, perpetrators of crimes against life and limb, connected to drug crimes, inheritance, and participants in certain motorcycle rallies, at this moment they are considered to be more threatening to internal security," said Šćepanović.

As he said, they were considered a threat because the EU-Western Balkans Summit was being held in Tivat, so their presence on the territory of Montenegro, predominantly in the southern region, would pose a threat to all-round security.