Dačić: Crime is regional responsibility

Interior Minister Ivica Dacic told Zagreb daily Jutarnji List that crime in the region is every regional country’s concern. Dacic sad that the fight against organized crime must be handled through united information and operative police cooperation. Dacic: Crime is regional responsibility “When Tito’s Yugoslavia fell apart, the only think that was preserved was brotherhood and unity between criminal groups, and that lasts today. We cannot combat this in any other way than by uniting our information and operative police cooperation,” Dacic said. Serbia and Croatia will be founding a united center for the fight against organized crime, he said. “I proposed having one operative model of cooperation for our police, because we all know that there is practically no serious organized crime group that does not have people of every nationality and from ever country of the former Yugoslavia in it,” he said. “I think that we will soon reach such a level of operative cooperation for your police to take over surveillance of our criminals when they enter on the territory of your country and vice versa,” he said. Dacic said that most of the known organized crime groups deal with drugs. “In a period of a year and a half, since the new Serbian government was formed, thanks to information from our security services, we have seized more than five tons of cocaine around the world,” Dacic said, adding that the Balkan Warrior action, but also other ones, have succeeded thanks to international police cooperation. “Our role was important in the surveillance of crime group members on our territory, because police in South America, were not able to follow their movement successfully because of language barriers and other issues,” Dacic said. He said that there are no rules for where organize crime groups invest their money in Serbia, but added that they certainly do invest in property, construction and privatizations. Dacic said that Serbia and Croatia must have much better relations, despite the obstacles of the past, because they are two countries “that depend on political stability in the region.” “The past is hard to change, but we can do everything we can to live normally as two neighboring countries. I expect that the coming period will bring improved political relations, and as far as police cooperation is concerned, it will always be a step ahead of our relations, because our problems must be solved regardless of politics,” Dacic said. Ivica Dacic (FoNet archive)

Dačić: Crime is regional responsibility

“When Tito’s Yugoslavia fell apart, the only think that was preserved was brotherhood and unity between criminal groups, and that lasts today. We cannot combat this in any other way than by uniting our information and operative police cooperation,” Dačić said.

Serbia and Croatia will be founding a united center for the fight against organized crime, he said.

“I proposed having one operative model of cooperation for our police, because we all know that there is practically no serious organized crime group that does not have people of every nationality and from ever country of the former Yugoslavia in it,” he said.

“I think that we will soon reach such a level of operative cooperation for your police to take over surveillance of our criminals when they enter on the territory of your country and vice versa,” he said.

Dačić said that most of the known organized crime groups deal with drugs.

“In a period of a year and a half, since the new Serbian government was formed, thanks to information from our security services, we have seized more than five tons of cocaine around the world,” Dačić said, adding that the Balkan Warrior action, but also other ones, have succeeded thanks to international police cooperation.

“Our role was important in the surveillance of crime group members on our territory, because police in South America, were not able to follow their movement successfully because of language barriers and other issues,” Dačić said.

He said that there are no rules for where organize crime groups invest their money in Serbia, but added that they certainly do invest in property, construction and privatizations.

Dačić said that Serbia and Croatia must have much better relations, despite the obstacles of the past, because they are two countries “that depend on political stability in the region.”

“The past is hard to change, but we can do everything we can to live normally as two neighboring countries. I expect that the coming period will bring improved political relations, and as far as police cooperation is concerned, it will always be a step ahead of our relations, because our problems must be solved regardless of politics,” Dačić said.