As a member of parliament, but above all as a citizen of this country who loves its natural resources, I welcome with great pleasure and respect the announcement of the formation of a special police unit to combat environmental crime, Momčilo Leković, member of parliament from the Democratic Montenegro party, announced today.
"This decision is an important message that Montenegro is finally standing up to protect its nature and that we will no longer silently observe the destruction of our country," Leković said in a statement.
On June 20, the Bureau for Operational Coordination (BOK) gave guidelines to the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP) and the Police Directorate to form a specialized team within the Crime Prevention Sector to deal with the fight against environmental crime, BOK coordinator Aleksa Bečić announced at the time.
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Leković added that "for years we have been talking about nature as our greatest asset, but only now, with this, and I am sure with similar initiatives that we will propose in the future, do we have the opportunity to protect that asset in a manner befitting a serious, European state."
"Let's look at the example of Spain and their SEPRONA elite unit that has been defending nature with full state authority for decades. They show that environmental justice is not an illusion, but a real, operational, armed and educated force that stands between nature and those who destroy it. From 1988 to the present, this unit has had a total of 7.358 investigated environmental cases, arresting around 5.320 people in 32 years of operation. If such a unit had been formed and existed in Montenegro, many environmental disasters as well as institutional and human negligence would probably have been prevented. Prevention, investigation and collection of intelligence on environmental crimes is the essence of its existence," said Leković.
He said that, however, he is pleased to note that people have finally arrived in the security sector who recognize the importance of such structures and who understand that ecology is not just a matter of protecting plants and animals, but also a matter of health, tourism, economy and state security.
"I am certain that the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Police Directorate will implement the initiative of Deputy Prime Minister and BOK Coordinator Aleksa Bečić thoroughly, professionally and transparently, selecting personnel who have the knowledge, ethics and will to confront one of the most insidious and harmful types of crime of our time: environmental crime. Montenegro is truly a natural beauty, but without a system that protects that nature, it will remain just a postcard. It is time to finally change that," said Leković.
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