MINISTRY OF THE INTERIOR GUARANTEES SECURITY FOR ALL CITIZENS
| Banja Luka | Thursday, 25/01/2024
‘Ministry of the Interior guarantees security for all citizens of the Republic of Srpska regardless of their religion or ethnicity’, Minister Siniša Karan said today in Trebinje, where the extended staff meeting was held and the activities of the Ministry in 2023 were analysed.
He stated that the indicators on security situation as well as the report on activities for the previous year itself show that the members of the Ministry have successfully responded to all security challenges, and assessed the security situation as favourable.
When it comes to solving criminal cases, Minister Karan said that the coefficient of solved cases was higher than ever and that it was over 90%.
He stated that the number of criminal offences against life and limb (645) has increased by 1.3% compared to the previous year, particularly regarding the criminal offence ‘Serious bodily injury’, which increased by 8.5%. The total number of 14 cases of murder was recorded in which 15 persons lost their lives – there were 7 criminal cases of ‘First degree murder’, 5 cases of ‘Murder’ and two murders with a suicide. All these cases have been solved.
Minister Karan pointed out the case of ‘First degree murder’ of the inspector of Bijeljina PA, Mr Nenad Marković, whose perpetrator was quickly found.
He stated that the Ministry had been efficiently dealing with the problem and consequences of the migrant crisis over the previous years and that the Ministry would continue to do so in future.
On the territory of the Republic of Srpska, the police officers detected and recorded 1,078 persons – migrants, who illegally crossed the border of BIH, which is by 77.2% less compared to 2022. Out of the total number of found and controlled migrants, most of them come from Afghanistan (46.7%) and Morocco (10.7%), Minister Karan said.
The Republic of Srpska Police Director, Mr Siniša Kostrešević, said that, in 2023, the Republic of Srpska Ministry of the Interior submitted to the competent prosecutor’s offices the total number of 5,955 reports against 6,372 persons, based on suspicion that they committed 7,042 criminal offences.
The coefficient of solved criminal offences in general had increased, as well as the coefficient of solved criminal cases where the perpetrator was unknown.
He said that, out of the total number of reported persons, 1,738 are recidivists in the commission of criminal offences (identical criminal offence), and there are 211 of perpetrators who are minors (increase by 31.1%). Coefficient of the overall number of solved criminal cases is 90.3%, and in cases where the perpetrator was unknown, the coefficient was 74.1%.
Director pointed out that, in the structure of the committed criminal offences during the reporting period, the most numerous were the criminal offences in the field of ‘General crime’ (5,793), which is 82.3% out of the total number of the committed criminal offences. Out of the total number of the committed criminal offences, in 113 cases, police officers arrested the perpetrators during or immediately after the commission of the criminal offence.
‘Countering organised crime and corruption has been and remained the main priority of all our activities, which is definitely confirmed by the results of our work. In this sense, our cooperation with Europol is very significant, as well as with other law enforcement agencies in the region, but also with other European countries’, Director Kostrešević said.
He pointed out that, in 2023, 12 organised criminal groups were prosecuted related to the abuse of narcotic drugs, unauthorised weapon and military equipment trafficking, abuse of office, preventing the presentation of evidence, obstruction of judiciary activities, accepting and offering bribery, etc.
‘The total number of 2,681 cases was detected, that is, 403 criminal offences and 2,278 minor offences of the abuse of narcotic drugs, which is by 33.7% more than during the previous year. Within these activities, 756 persons were arrested. At the scene of perpetration of criminal offences related to the abuse of narcotic drugs, the police officers found and arrested 33 persons. Also, five laboratories for producing narcotic drugs were detected and two of them were on the territory of Banja Luka PA, and one on the territory of each of the following police administrations: Gradiška, Prijedor and Bijeljina. When it comes to the types of seized narcotic drugs, it was marijuana that was seized in most cases, about 455kg’, Director Kostrešević said.
He pointed out that the situation in traffic security was not satisfactory, because, regardless of the numerous preventive and repressive activities that have been realised in 2023, 10,614 were recorded, which is an increase of 7.3% compared to 2022. The total number of 109 persons lost their lives in traffic accidents (9 persons more than in 2022), 611 persons were seriously injured (9% more), whereas 2,923 persons suffered light physical injuries (6.5% more). The number of accidents with material damage only (8,155) increased by 7.6% compared to the previous year.
