The Communal Police of the Capital City condemns any violent behavior, especially when it comes to acts like the one suspected of being committed by an employee of that RO service.
That municipal police officer, according to the prosecution, raped an eight-year-old girl outside of working hours in the Stari Aerodrom neighborhood in Podgorica.
After his arrest, he was remanded in custody for up to 30 days.
After this event, citizens organized protests in several cities, and stuffed toys and messages were left on the squares to the authorities that something like this should neither happen nor be allowed again, and that the punishments for lawbreakers must be stricter.
The Communal Police of Podgorica told "Vijesta" that until the end of the proceedings, and due to the presumption of innocence, they cannot comment on the further treatment of their colleague.
"The basic function of the Communal Police of the Capital City of Podgorica is precisely to ensure compliance with positive regulations, and we emphasize that we strongly condemn any form of violent behavior, especially that of which an employee of the Municipal Police is suspected... The Communal Police of the Capital City will, while respecting the presumption of innocence, and later, the decision of the competent authority, in accordance with the applicable material regulations, to undertake all measures and actions within its jurisdiction in a timely manner and in the legally prescribed procedure in the part of regulating the labor-legal status of the suspect. As the proceedings before the competent prosecutor's office are ongoing, and in order to preserve the interest of the proceedings itself, respecting the presumption of innocence, we are not legally able to provide any further information regarding the aforementioned", they told "Vijesta".
Answering the questions regarding the conditions for employment in the Municipal Police, they said that the conditions and procedure for establishing an employment relationship in local government bodies, professional services and special services, in accordance with the Law on Local Self-Government, are regulated by regulations on civil servants and state employees, i.e. provisions of the Law on Civil Servants and State Employees.
"The conditions for filling the positions are prescribed by the provisions of the Law on Local Self-Government", explained the Municipal Police of the Capital City.
According to the Law on Communal Police, it is stipulated that, among other things, persons who establish an employment relationship in the title of Chief of Communal Police and Communal Policeman must also meet the requirements in terms of psychophysical ability.
"Fulfillment of the conditions in terms of psychophysical ability... is proven by a certificate issued by the competent health institution, in accordance with the regulations governing the type, method, scope and deadlines for performing health examinations of employees at workplaces with special working conditions, i.e. increased risk" , the law states. A periodic check of psychophysical abilities is also planned - every three years. The law also provides for a check of psychophysical ability "on the reasoned proposal of the head of the service or the employee".
The Communal Police of the Capital City appealed to the public not to equate individual responsibility with collective responsibility.
"By highlighting as an important fact that the suspect is a 'communal policeman', in what way the reputation of the Communal Police is unequivocally damaged and the other officers of the Municipal Police of the Capital City, who honorably and conscientiously perform and will continue to perform their duties, are placed in a potentially discriminatory and certainly unenviable position work tasks", it is stated in the answers submitted to "Vijesta".
Sentences of up to 40 years
The suspected RO is 26 years old.
On April 6, as reported, he followed the girl in the morning when she went to get bread and he did not deny the incident in front of the prosecutor.
Among the evidence, the prosecution and the police have a recording from a surveillance camera.
The spokeswoman of the Basic Court in Podgorica, Ivana Becić, said at the time that the aforementioned criminal offense was punishable by a fine or a prison sentence of up to two years.
This case and such a penal policy have reopened the question of changes in regulations.
The Cabinet of the Minister of Justice, Human and Minority Rights, Vladimir Leposavic, recently announced that, with the aim of maximally tightening the prison sentences of those threatened for criminal offenses against sexual freedom committed against children and vulnerable persons, they "without delay" began drafting a proposal for amendments to the law. of the Criminal Code of Montenegro.
They also said that the Draft Law on Amendments to the Criminal Code of Montenegro has been put into regular legislative procedure.
"This made it possible for the Government to decide in the shortest possible time on the adoption of the draft law on amendments and additions to the Criminal Code of Montenegro, and then the Parliament of Montenegro will discuss and decide on its adoption," the department announced.
The proposed amendments, as they said, include all criminal offenses against sexual freedom from Chapter Eighteen of the Criminal Code, which have children and infirm persons as the object of protection.
"For all of the above-mentioned criminal acts, the adoption of stricter prison sentences has been proposed. In particular, for the crimes of rape, abuse of a vulnerable person, abuse of a child, and abuse of position, the possibility was proposed that the perpetrator of one of these crimes be punished with a long-term prison sentence of 40 years. This is the most severe punishment provided by the domestic criminal legislation for the most serious crimes", announced the Ministry of Justice, Human and Minority Rights.
They also said that the proposed prison sentences can be assessed as draconian, and that they do not have to be imposed in every single case.
"But that the possibility of their pronouncement in the future would have, among other things, the purpose of general prevention in the commission of these criminal acts, which are undoubtedly among the most socially dangerous", according to the press release of Leposavic's department.
Children up to the age of 14 and girls are the most common victims of pedophilia
Children up to the age of 14 and minor girls are the most common victims of pedophilia in Montenegro, while among the 36 persons who have been legally convicted for criminal offenses against sexual freedom, the most are men - 35. Among the convicted are two retired educators.
The data were published in the "Analysis of criminal policy of Montenegrin courts in cases of sexual violence against minors" and refer to the period from the beginning of 2013 to March 2018.
"The main motive for sexual violence is the need to satisfy sexual urges, where the perpetrators of such acts are often in a wider family or other relationship with the victim, or in friendly relations with the victim's family," state the authors of that document.
The analysis also adds that sexual violence against minors is significantly more prevalent among convicted persons who are more mature and older than among younger and older adults. The authors also state that no specific occupation prevails among convicted persons, that sexual violence against minors cannot be explicitly linked to either urban or rural areas, because violence occurs approximately equally in both environments.
What characterizes this form of violence, as stated by the authors, is that it occurs in isolated spaces, without the presence of other people.
According to that analysis, the majority of persons convicted of sexual violence against minors were sentenced to prison terms (94%), while the warning measure, that is, conditional sentences, totaled six percent.
Back in 2009, by signing the Convention on the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse of the Council of Europe, Montenegro undertook to create a register of pedophiles.
The establishment of the register was initiated several times by the "Parents" Association.
In addition to a harsher penal policy, the NGO previously initiated the introduction of chemical castration for pedophiles.
Amber Alert Petition
The NGO "Ruka Ruci" sent a request to the Government to join and accept the "Amber Alert" global alert system for missing children, which already exists in surrounding countries, in connection with the disappearance of children in Montenegro.
On the free petition.online service, such a request has the support of over 5.000 citizens.
From "Ruka-ruci", however, on their Facebook page, they stated that they were not the authors of that petition, reminded that such a petition has no legal force and is not binding, and said that therefore they sent the Government a request for approval of the petition on the portal epeticije.gov.me.
If the petition is approved, it must receive the support of 60 citizens within 3.000 days, in order to turn it into a formal initiative and submit it to the Government for consideration.
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