Increasingly frequent allegations of violations of the Law on Internal Affairs cause serious concern because they lead to significant violations of the human rights of Montenegrin citizens by police officers. That is why the Civic Alliance points to several recent incidents that are the reason for this concern.
Recently, allegations appeared in the media about the attempted molestation of a minor by police officer D.L. who was detained for up to 30 days, and it happened in the north of Montenegro. Then there’s the recent detention of a N.J. Border Patrol agent. for receiving bribes. There is another case, where photos of citizen S.J. were released to the public through the media. from Beran, who, according to the allegations, suffered injuries as a result of a police raid on a catering facility, and which were diagnosed by doctors as serious physical injuries. This indicates that the police officer exceeded his police authority in the part of applying the means of coercion. How was the injured citizen S.J. stated in this case, serious physical injuries were inflicted on him by members of the special police for special purposes.
As the latest news, we have a suspicion that an employee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs issued armed documents contrary to the law in Cetinje. The question here is whether, after the tragic event in that city where we had several people with a fatal outcome, as well as the data indicating the number of criminal groups, the MUP took all the necessary measures and actions in order to make the procedure for obtaining a license for weapons as and the legalization of weapons were carried out in accordance with the law, and whether the procedure of abuse was reduced to a minimum. We must point out that this is not the first case in Montenegro in which there is a suspicion that abuse occurred during the issuance of a weapon license.
Such actions not only threaten citizens’ trust in the institution of the Police Administration, but also cast a shadow on the professionalism and integrity of those police officers who conscientiously and responsibly perform their duties.
That’s why we request the competent institutions to act effectively to stop the evident trend that indicates the behavior of police officers contrary to the provisions of the law governing their jurisdiction, first of all – the Law on Internal Affairs, but also the provisions of the Code of Police Ethics. The management of the Police Directorate as well as the Minister of the Interior must urgently take actions and measures in order to reduce the number of actions of police officers that can be recognized as illegal behavior. In addition, the responsibility lies not only with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Police Directorate, but also with the entire judicial and court system. Therefore, without an appropriate qualification of the criminal act, an adequate punishment and a trial within a reasonable time, the necessary results cannot be achieved.
This is an invitation to the citizens to report to the competent institutions if the behavior of police officers is contrary to the normative regulation or unethical behavior of members of the police administration, so that together we can contribute to the creation of a police force that will serve and protect citizens in a professional and ethical manner.
The Civic Alliance continues to monitor the work of police officers within the project “No Impunity for Human Rights Violations in Montenegro” financed by the European Union and co-financed by the Ministry of Public Administration.
