The Minister of Internal Affairs Daniel Mitov: The trust of citizens is key to building a positive image of the Ministry of Internal Affairs

Minister Mitov emphasized that the image of the Ministry of Interior is built on the trust of the citizens, so every action of the police officers must evoke respect. He firmly stated that body cameras should be mandatory and turned on during any interaction between the police and citizens, as they represent an objective means that protects the rights of both parties.

The Secretary General of the Ministry of Interior, Miroslav Rashkov, explained that all police officers will undergo specialized training in detention techniques, de-escalation, and self-defense. The Director of the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime, Nikolay Nikolov, clarified that instructors will be trained there, who will then train the rest of the police officers, with an initial focus on patrol officers.

The Director of the General Directorate of National Police, Zahari Vaskov, announced that a public procurement process for the purchase of 13,400 personal police cameras and 1,800 video recorders for installation in official vehicles is in the final stages. This will allow all uniformed officers with police powers to be equipped with individual cameras.

Minister Mitov stated that the task is to improve the functioning of the system so that it works for the benefit of the citizens, while also protecting the rights of the police officers. He reported that over the past few months, the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime, the General Directorate of National Police, and the Border Police have worked effectively, with around three times more drugs and precursors seized compared to the entire previous year. There is also a persistent decrease in road traffic accidents, as well as an increase in fines imposed and tickets issued.

The Minister pointed out that in terms of the work of the Border Police, there has been a 61% reduction in pressure at the border. He emphasized that the system has been destroyed over the years and now requires time to be restored.

The meeting was attended by the Deputy Ministers of the Interior, the Secretary General, the Directors of the Regional Directorates of the Ministry of Interior, as well as employees from the General Directorate of National Police, who work in the areas of security, crime, and road safety.