Police Resolve Cases of Explosions and Commander Šamil

Interior Minister Ranko Ostojić stated last night that the police have resolved the cases of two explosions in Zagreb and the ‘self-proclaimed commander Šamil’ from Trogir, who called for terrorism on social media, and he assessed that this is what most contributes to the sense of security among Croatian citizens.

– Neither a minister nor a politician will calm citizens with their message. It is much better when the police resolve such cases, as has happened here – said Minister Ostojić while guesting on Dnevnik Nove TV. In response to a journalist’s question about whether Croatia is an absolutely safe country, the interior minister reminded that Croatia is a NATO member and that threats have existed before, but that it is most important to be prepared.

– Croatia is not an absolutely safe country, and I would be an absolutely irresponsible interior minister if I sent such a message. Croatia is a country that is in NATO and in a situation to be a target of terrorist attacks. This has not just happened now, it has happened before. It is important that we are ready to quickly find the perpetrators of such things – said Minister Ostojić. Responding to the question of where the Croatian police stand today compared to a year ago and whether he believes citizens trust the police, Ostojić said that he believes that the resolution of such cases shows that the police can be trusted.

– The fact that there were 51 murders last year and that 50 of them were solved while only one remains unsolved certainly contributes to the feeling that citizens must have – he said. When asked how to trust the police given some shortcomings such as leaking information or the case of prostitution within the police, Minister Ostojić said that the police themselves uncovered the ‘weeds’ in their own ranks. – This actually only shows the strength of the police and the readiness that regardless of who it is, we will not allow those who are at the service of criminals to be members of the police. This earns and restores trust in the police – he said.

He dismissed criticisms of political staffing with a counter-question: ‘How is it possible to politically staff in a depoliticized police?’. – Everything is done through internal competitions, no one in the police is new, all are people who have worked here before – he emphasized. In response to a journalist’s question about whether there will be investigations related to the wiretapping affair or how the former prime minister obtained some information, Minister Ostojić said that the police will certainly investigate the fact that a ‘document was destroyed in which the chief state attorney was the main culprit’.

– This is something that the police will certainly investigate to the end and report to the chief state attorney. The very fact that this document was destroyed speaks to whether the chief state attorney was actually the target – he said.