Navigation
|
Police cooperation
Guaranteeing the security of its citizens is one of the Union's central priorities. This means using both practical and legislative weapons to prevent organised criminals - drug barons, people traffickers, money launderers or even terrorists - from exploiting the freedoms the EU brings. On the Guaranteeing the security of its citizens is one of the Union's central priorities. This means using both practical and legislative weapons to prevent organised criminals - drug barons, people traffickers, money launderers or even terrorists - from exploiting the freedoms the EU brings. On the practical front, national police forces cooperate more, especially within the framework of EUROPOL. With the help of powerful computer databases, this coordination centre, based in The Hague, collects, analyses and shares information on criminal activities.
Currently, police cooperation is based on:
In the area of police cooperation Bulgaria has concluded 33 interdepartmental and intergovernmental cooperation agreements with European states including trilateral and bilateral with member states, new members and candidate members.
One of the main accomplishments in this area was the signature of a cooperation agreement between Bulgaria and EUROPOL in June 2003. The agreement will facilitate more extensive contacts of the Bulgarian police agencies with the law enforcement agencies of the EU members and their more effective work.
The Ministry of Interior establishes a network of liaison officers to Rome, Prague, Skopje, Moscow, Madrid, Berlin, Warsaw, Paris, EUROPOL as well as to Bucharest in the Center of the initiative for cooperation in South-East Europe. In 2002 the Ministry created an office for international operational police cooperation called National Contact Point. The office includes teams on duty which maintain 24 hour communication with the national points of contact in the EU member states, the Secretary General of the EUROPOL, and all law enforcing agencies in Bulgaria.
Since 2002 Bulgaria has been implementing the National Anti-crime Strategy and the program for its implementation, which defined the priorities of the law enforcement agencies. The main priorities in both documents are the further alignment of national legislation with the EU acquis; improving the coordination and interaction between the legislative and judicial powers, local government and representatives of civil society; increasing the institutional and administrative capacity of law enforcement agencies; prevention as a main instrument of limiting crime; increasing the capacity of the state to limit address social and economic sources of crime.
In December 2002 preparatory activities started for the establishment of the Unified Information System for Combating Crime. The system is supposed to facilitate cooperation between law enforcement bodies by rapid exchange of data and to provide information on the state of play of penal proceedings and enforcement bodies by rapid exchange of data and to provide information on the state of play of penal proceedings and enforcement of sentences
With the adoption of the new strategy and Action Plan for Countering Crime, Bulgaria has made an important step in addressing a problem area by developing a long-term vision with clear priority setting underpinned by a strategic approach.
|
Downloads
|