Zagreb marks 35th anniversary of Alfa Special Police Unit’s formation

A commemoration in Zagreb has marked the 35th anniversary of the formation of the Alfa Special Police Unit, honouring the fallen and deceased members who served on many of the battlefields of the Homeland War.

The unit took part in operations across the country, from Western Slavonia and the Velebit area to Dubrovnik, defending Croatian citizens and the country’s territorial integrity.

National Police Chief Nikola Milina said the anniversary was an opportunity to remember the role of the Croatian Police at the beginning of the war, when “the police were virtually the only armed force.”

Founded on this day in 1991, the Alfa unit participated in battles throughout the Homeland War. In August 1995, after the military operation that marked the end of major wartime operations, its members returned from the battlefield to Zagreb — although, as Milina noted, “not all of them” came home.

“Today, we proudly honour all members of the Croatian Police, especially the 788 officers who gave their lives in defence of the homeland,” Milina said at the commemoration.

Željko Mihaljević, president of the Association of Veterans of the Special Police Unit Alfa Zagreb, said the anniversary was marked with respect and dignity in honour of the unit’s wartime legacy.

“We preserved the memory of the unit’s wartime journey and remembered our fallen and deceased members. I believe we marked this anniversary in the manner this war unit, one of the most elite units of the Homeland War, deserves,” Mihaljević said.

Although the Alfa Special Police Unit no longer exists as an active formation, its former members continue their work through the Alfa Zagreb Special Police Association, preserving the memory of the unit’s contribution and reminding future generations of its role in Croatian history.