The Bureau for Operational Coordination convened its 10th session, attended by Bureau members, along with the Minister of the Interior Danilo Šaranović, acting Assistant Director of the Police Directorate Velimir Furtula, and the newly appointed Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Montenegro, Brigadier General Miodrag Vuksanović.

The meeting unanimously endorsed the outcomes of the conference attended by the EU ambassador, the Minister of Ecology, and environmental activists. Clear directives were provided to the Ministry of the Interior and the Police Directorate to establish an organizational unit or a specialized team within the Sector for the Fight Against Crime dedicated solely to addressing environmental crime.

The Bureau for Operational Coordination firmly supported the ongoing initiatives by the Ministry of the Interior and the Police Directorate to implement procedures for identifying security threats, monitoring property, income, and lifestyle, along with other legal measures related to the integrity of police officers. All intelligence and security bodies were urged to prioritize the vetting process to eliminate unauthorized influences and compromised personnel in line with their responsibilities.

In reviewing the security landscape, the Bureau noted the persistent security challenges, the ineffectiveness of judicial processes, and procedural violations. Emphasizing the importance of intensifying preventive, intelligence, and repressive efforts, the Bureau outlined the need for a greater number of strategically significant obligations from authorities in preparation for the upcoming tourist season. The Bureau commended the collaborative efforts among intelligence and security agencies, particularly highlighting the Police Directorate and the National Security Agency, along with the accomplishments of the Police Directorate in national priorities against serious and organized crime. Notably, 2,123 individuals were prosecuted for 2,225 criminal offenses in the first quarter, there was persistent dismantling of high-risk organized crime groups operating transnationally, prevention of serious crimes was achieved, and 140 individuals were detained under warrants. Additionally, 50 persons were prosecuted for smuggling more than 81,000 packages of cigarettes, which resulted in over EUR 64 million in damages to Montenegro’s budget, alongside ongoing actions aimed at dismantling the tobacco mafia and prosecuting their affiliates within the intelligence and security sectors.

The Bureau for Operational Coordination welcomed the acceleration of activities concerning the implementation of the video surveillance project across municipalities. Notably, decisions made by the Minister of the Interior to establish video surveillance in the Royal Capital Cetinje and the municipality of Herceg Novi were highlighted, along with the fact that approval from the Agency for the Protection of Personal Data had already been secured for the Cetinje initiative.

Regarding traffic safety, the Bureau summarized various preventive and repressive measures, resulting in the detention of 3,020 individuals in the first five months of this year for serious traffic safety violations. Furthermore, 1,405 drivers were tested for psychoactive substances, with 668, or 47.5%, testing positive. Efforts are also ongoing to draft amendments to the Law on Traffic Safety, which is anticipated to be reviewed by the Government and Parliament shortly.

The Bureau for Operational Coordination reiterated the significance of the collaboration between the Police Directorate and the Customs Administration in finalizing and signing a cooperation agreement that defines the exchange of criminal intelligence data. The Bureau has identified the integration of databases and records within the intelligence and security sectors as one of its key priorities.