01.04.2011.

Minister Dacic gives a lecture at the School of National Defense

Deputy Serbian Prime Minister and Interior Minister Ivica Dacic gave a lecture to the attendees of the School of National Defense Center in the Center for Simulation and Distance Learning, in the Military Academy.

The lecture was attended by State Secretary of Ministry of Defence Igor Jovicic and Head of the Military Academy, Brigadier General Mladen Vuruna.

To 56th class of the GS college and 57th command staff college, who study for the most responsible duties in the defense system, Dacic spoke on aspects of internal security of the Republic of Serbia.

- Internal and external security are now inseparable, so there has to be an integrated view of the safety of society as a whole. At the same time, and the roles of stakeholders in the security sector have changed, so that the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of our country now realize its mission by acting together in all aspects of their work - said Dacic.

During the presentation, in order to focus on the major aspects of internal security, Dacic spoke on the contribution of the Serbian Interior Ministry in achieving sustainable security of Serbia. He gave special attention to the results in combating terrorism and organized crime, corruption, illicit drug trafficking, arms smuggling, illegal human trafficking in our country. According to Minister Dacic, the data of the relevant national and international agencies show that in Serbia the classic crime rate is very low, even below the European average, and that compared to 2009, last year show a sharp drop in the total number of criminal offenses.

- Organized crime and corruption are, on the other hand, biggest security challenges of today, undermining the overall system of the rule of law. Therefore, combating these security threats is one the main priorities of the Serbian government, and progress in that area, while the issue of judicial reform is one of the key aspects of the process of European integration - said Dacic.

He also presented observations on the state of border security, assessing that the situation was safe, despite daily meetings with a large number of illegal immigrants which is the ultimate goal of the European Union. When it comes to emergency situations, Dacic stressed the readiness of the ministry for prompt response in emergency situations, but also the necessity of cooperation with the Ministry of Defence in the area of effective protection in such circumstances. Solving these problems requires an increasing level of international cooperation between security agencies and security systems, as Minister Dacic stated.

Further on during his lecture, he remarked that the Serbian Interior Ministry and the Ministry of Defense wished to be involved not only in the United Nations peace operations, but also to participate in peacekeeping missions under the EU auspices.

In the final part of his address, he said said that the cooperation between the Ministries of Defence and Internal Affairs has been at the highest level in the last two decades, concluding that both the army and police were on the same mission, to train “for the daily tasks we all hope that will not happen”.

Answering questions from students of the School of National Defense, Dacic said that organized crime is an international phenomenon, and that was why it was of paramount importance for these agencies which are tasked to crack down on organized crime to cooperate fully. With that in mind, he noted, one of the aspects of cooperation between the two ministries can be the field of mutual education and training of personnel.