A police officer identified as MT reportedly injured a local citizen from Mojkovac following an incident outside a disco on May 2nd, around 2 AM.

On that night, several young men had a confrontation with Mojkovac police officers. As reported by “Vijesti,” Officer MT was off duty and enjoying the nightlife in the city when he decided to intervene in the official actions taken by his colleagues.

Prior to this, there were claims he instigated trouble in another café, where he allegedly struck a patron and then verbally abused the café owner and his wife.

In response to “Vijesti,” the Police Directorate indicated that they were informed that night about a public order disturbance outside a bar, specifically a fight involving multiple individuals, leading to the dispatch of on-duty police officers to the scene.

“Upon arrival, it was noted that a physical altercation took place outside the aforementioned establishment, which involved several individuals, one of whom used an irritant spray. Multiple injuries were reported, and all involved received medical care. While trying to restore order, the police officers faced aggression, leading to the detention of three individuals on charges of assaulting officers during their official duties, per the prosecutor’s orders,” the UP commented.

They further stated that during inquiries with three Mojkovci residents and witnesses, none identified Officer MT as a participant in the earlier physical altercation.

“In their statements, none of the witnesses brought up police officer MT’s involvement in the previous conflict, leaving the prosecutor and police officers unaware of his participation. Consequently, the prosecutor reviewed the case files and classified the criminal charges against LM (23), M.R. (21), and a member of the Army of Montenegro, AM (25),” the UP elaborated.

According to information from “Vijesti,” following an incident involving multiple citizens and police officers, brothers AM, LM, and MR were taken into custody and charged with assaulting an officer in the execution of their duties.

They also noted that on the orders of the Basic Court in Bijelo Polje, video evidence from surveillance cameras was secured the following day and submitted to the responsible prosecutor.

“The review of the recorded footage revealed Officer MT as a participant in the physical altercation outside the catering facility, alongside other individuals not mentioned in earlier witness statements,” the UP informed “Vijesti” in their May 3 response.

In their follow-up communication, dated May 4th, they reported that:

a consultation occurred at the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Bijelo Polje:

“The acting state prosecutor provided directives for further action by Mojkovac Security Department officers concerning the seized video. He indicated that, based on the findings so far, Officer MT’s actions did not currently show elements of a criminal offense. However, after identifying all individuals involved, information will be gathered from them to clarify the situation comprehensively, after which legal classifications will be made regarding all parties,” they stated.

They emphasized that following the investigation and the collection of facts, along with the prosecutor’s assessment, the police officer will face consequences as per the Law on Internal Affairs.

“If conditions under Article 176 of this Law are met, appropriate decisions will be made,” they added.

This law section allows for the potential suspension of the Mojkovac police officer.

The UP noted that the acting prosecutor informed officers that during one suspect’s interrogation, a claim was made about being assaulted by another police officer.

It is reported that this officer is from PB.

“A case has been opened at the Basic State Prosecutor’s Office in Bijelo Polje, and the Police Internal Control Department has been notified,” they mentioned.

“As such, Mojkovac Security Department officers are working alongside the acting prosecutor, following his orders, to gather all circumstances related to this incident, aimed at thorough investigation and prosecution of all involved,” the security agency declared.

“The youths were assaulted, then arrested, and charged with assaulting police officers, despite also being attacked by officers and several former handball players no longer in the police force, in addition to an inspector from Bijelo Polje. During the altercation, AM was slammed to the asphalt, when MT approached and began kicking him. The surveillance footage captured all of this, and unless it is destroyed, accountability will be clear,” an eyewitness told “Vijesti.”

In response to inquiries about why only three Mojkovci residents were arrested and not the officers who allegedly assaulted them, the UP clarified that following the acting prosecutor’s review of case files the night of the incident, “the three confirmed individuals were prosecuted.”

“In the ongoing proceedings, following an order from the Bijelo Polje Basic Court, video material was retrieved and provided to the prosecutor for further action. After reviewing this evidence, the prosecutor will direct police officers on additional actions in the matter, and subsequently assess legal responsibility for other individuals captured on tape, who will face prosecution based on the prosecutor’s conclusions. We assure you that once any liability is established, rigorous measures will be applied against the officer, as performing police duties necessitates ethics and legality at all times, regardless of duty status. Other involved persons have yet to face prosecution because the prosecutor has not yet qualified any alleged offenses against them,” the Police explained.

They confirmed to “Vijesti” that the Mojkovac police commander had access to the footage of the event.

The investigation into potential code violations will proceed.

The Police Directorate stated that the Internal Control Department will assess whether MT breached any codes by failing to act according to his authority.

“As per Article 43 of the Law on Internal Affairs, officers utilize their powers based on their judgment of whether the legal conditions for action are met. Article 22 mandates that an officer, if possible, provides assistance to anyone in danger, prevents crimes, and takes measures to maintain public order or preserve safety, which Officer MT did not enact,” they clarified.

They added that files will be forwarded to the Internal Control Department within the Ministry of Internal Affairs:

“For internal control processes, and to the Ethics Committee to determine if the police officer’s actions were in violation of the code of police ethics. If culpability is determined, disciplinary actions will be initiated accordingly in line with the Law on Internal Affairs, including possible suspension for significant misconduct.”

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