Crime

With Serbia together against the Mafia

Serbia and Germany conclude an agreement for the fight against crime. In the refugee question, both countries have been working together for quite some time.

Stefanovic (2. v. l.) and de Maizière (3.v.l.) prior to the agreement

The long series of cameras that take, the two Ministers into the visor,
another reason to come. In the morning, terrorists detonated several bombs in Brussels, the journalists expect a Statement from the Minister of the interior Thomas de Maizière. He would have welcomed his Serbian counterpart Nebojsa Stefanovic “under friendlier circumstances,” de Maizière for a moment before he speaks, first, about the actual reason for the meeting. Serbia and Germany have signed an agreement on joint crime-fighting. It is the first such agreement that the EU accession candidate Serbia with another country signed.

Refugee crisis brings cooperation

The agreement is a further step after the two countries have expanded their cooperation in recent months,
in particular, the issues of asylum and refugees. 2014 Germany Serbia had
to the safe country of origin explains to asylum seekers from the Balkan state of fast decline. In the summer, more and more refugees from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq were the route via the “Balkans”, which leads directly through Serbia to Europe. At the time Germany sent the border police, to support the Serbian colleagues. “Serbia has played a very constructive role,” says de Maizière.

Now both countries want to take the organized crime. In addition to the crime of smuggling, in particular drug trafficking and organized thief and burglar gangs are to be effectively combated. Both countries want to form a joint investigation group, regularly provides information to offenders, exchange, and common investigators form teams to individual crimes or groups of offenders. Germany sent two liaison officers to Belgrade – a forensic police officer and a border policeman. In the future, Serbia will send a liaison officer to Berlin. “This is a new qualitative level of cooperation,” said Thomas de Maizière. And his Serb colleague Nebojsa Stefanovic stressed that the agreement opened up “great possibilities in the fight against crime”.

Serbian groups are active

Serbian groups from the organized crime dominated out wide for some years its activities in Germany. In the year 2014 an investigation against 17 mafia-like groups walked with a Serbian Background. It is mainly about drug trafficking, property crimes such as robbery or burglary, and auto theft. Serbia occupies the ninth place in the number of suspects against whom, in Germany, in connection with Organised crime is determined. In the year 2014, there were 140 people. However, the gap to the leaders of the statistic is relatively large. Lithuanians were 946 suspects the largest foreign group. Far before that, 3146 suspects were of German nationality. “For us, it is very important to make it clear that we are committed to all forms of crime to fight,” stressed Stefanovic. Then the journalists are allowed to ask after the attacks in Brussels.