Božinović: We have solutions to restore citizens' perception of control over migrants

Interior Minister Davor Božinović assessed on Friday in Slunj that the Interior Ministry analyzes migrant policy on a daily basis, deploys forces, strengthens its presence at external borders and has solutions to restore the perception of citizens that the situation is "absolutely under control".

"When we talk about migration, security in Karlovac County was not compromised at any time, considering that almost no criminal offenses are recorded, and a very small number of violations were recorded, for which it is suspected that the perpetrators could be migrants," said Davor Božinović after a meeting with the Karlovac County prefect, Martina Furdek-Hajdin, and the mayor of Slunj, Mirjana Puškarić.

After visiting the police officers who work to protect the border, the minister emphasized that the current tourist season has so far passed with the fewest recorded criminal offenses due to "planned work and a flexible system that can and does find solutions that are numerous and not simple at any time."

He explained that the procedure of registering every illegally found migrant in police stations in Karlovac County, located as a rule in the center of the city, creates a certain perception of citizens, which will be solved by moving the registration center to Dugi Dol near Krnjak.

He added that various actors are trying to use citizens' perception of insecurity due to the increased number of migrants for political gain.

“There is no reason for concern, nor will it succeed for any of those actors, because when we talk about the police, I am sure that we have one of the most efficient police forces in Europe,” he said.

Božinović: We would like an agreement on police cooperation with Slovenia

Asked about Slovenia's assessment that three times more migrants have been entering that country since Croatia entered the Schengen area, the minister said that sending such messages from one country to another is not the way to a solution. 

“The only way is to remain humane, respect the laws and not allow it to affect the quality of life in the countries,” he added.

Speaking about cooperation with Slovenia, Božinović said that he wishes for an agreement on police cooperation in order to raise the level of joint treatment of the migrant population, and he also touched on expectations for Frontex.

“We expect Frontex to make a significant contribution to all those who do not meet the conditions for international protection and asylum, to transparently organize their return to the safe countries they came from,” he said.

He also pointed out that Europe must be more active when it comes to relations with African and Middle Eastern countries and find a way to help people not to leave their countries in such large numbers through the redistribution of funds.

“This is a global problem and I am sure that the generations that will succeed us in our jobs will continue to deal with this issue,” he concluded.

Source: HRT