GREATER PRESENCE OF TRAFFIC POLICE TO PREVENT TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS

BANJA LUKA, NOVEMBER 20 /SRNA/ – The Republika Srpska Minister of Interior Željko Budimir has announced in SRNA interview a greater presence of the traffic police on the roads of Republika Srpska preventively with the goal of reducing traffic accidents.

"With the staff rejuvenation, we will soon be able to implement this, because we have a grim statistic when it comes to traffic. This has been a difficult year for us, even though it does not deviate much from the ten-year average, but we already have 22 more fatalities compared to the entire previous year," Budimir noted.

To act preventively in reducing the number of traffic accidents caused by speeding, Budimir said that the Ministry would work on procuring stationary as well as mobile radars, which local communities also insist on.

SECURITY IN SRPSKA AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL

Budimir has emphasized that Republika Srpska is a community where security is at the highest level, as shown by a decrease of about nine percent in criminal offenses this year compared to last year, i.e. approximately 450 fewer criminal acts.

He stressed that the Republika Srpska police are intensively combating organised crime and that the visible presence of police in the community instills a sense of safety.

"I believe that the Republika Srpska police are among the institutions that enjoy the greatest trust of citizens. In all turbulent times, during this political crisis, it was precisely the police who stabilized situation the in Srpska," Budimir stated.

He says the Republika Srpska police continue their relentless fight against drug abuse, having conducted 40 operations just this year.

INTENSIVE INVESTMENT FOR MORE EFFICIENT AND HIGH-QUALITY WORK

Budimir noted that the Republika Srpska Ministry of Interior is one of the most organised institutions and that he is satisfied with the work of police administrations and stations, which will receive intensive investment to improve their performance.

"One of the major projects we are working on is a new communications system for the entire Ministry, and for the first time we will create a system that meets the communication challenges of the 21st century, including encryption and other features. Firearms also require regular renewal," Budimir emphasized.

PROFESSIONAL COOPERATION WITH POLICE AGENCIES WORLDWIDE

"Without false modesty, I can say that the police of Republika Srpska are the best police agency in BiH. We know this through communication with other police agencies. What distinguishes us is our top professionalism," Budimir said.

He says that cooperation with police forces in the region and the world is highly professional, especially with Serbia, which has the best-organised police training system in Southeast Europe.

"There is intensive cooperation with Europol and Interpol as well. Our people are reliable and participate in large organised operations conducted jointly with police agencies from the region, Europe, and the world - especially in the fields of organised and serious crime, which rely on cooperation and data exchange," Budimir said.

KEEP SRPSKA AWAY FROM MIGRANT CRISIS

He points out that Banja Luka and the cities of Republika Srpska are among the safest in Europe, as they do not face dangers stemming from the migrant crisis.

"We see daily the number of people killed, raped, as a consequence of the inability to deal with the large number of migrants entering those countries. That is why it is important that the Republika Srpska Government and President Milorad Dodik recognised the danger in time and did not allow the migrant crisis to become an everyday reality in Srpska," Budimir said.

He congratulated the members of the Ministry on their upcoming patron saint day - St. Archangel Michael/Aranđelovdan and reminded of the 782 members who gave their lives to preserve Republika Srpska.