balkan analysis
December 8, 2010
Oliver Grbic has been the Chief Director of Police in the Croatian Interior Ministry since August 2009. Born in 1964, he graduated from Zagreb University’s Faculty of Ecomonics, and became a member of the police in 1991, mainly working in the sector for fighting economic crime. In 2001, he was appointed deputy chief of police in Primorsko-goranska county, becoming chief of police there another three years later. In his career, Mr Grbic has enjoyed a string of successes in leading operations against various kinds of crime, from drug smuggling and extortion to the rapid investigation and solving of murder cases.
Ante Raic, a journalist with Croatian National Television and Balkanalysis.com editor in Zagreb, recently spoke with Chief Director Grbic to get his insights on various issues of interest and new developments in the areas of technological capacity-building, regional security cooperation between Croatia and its neighbors, and the major security threats facing Croatia today. In the interview, Chief Director Grbic also discloses that new borders are being created, and that cooperation with EU police continues to improve in anticipation of Croatia’s planned entry into the Schengen zone.
On the New Croatia-Serbia Police Video Link
Ante Raic: A direct and secure video link between Zagreb and Belgrade was established three months ago. What is the importance of this link for the cooperation of the police of both countries? Have there been any direct benefits from it so far?
Oliver Grbic: The secure conference link between Zagreb and Belgrade was established as a part of an initiative for forming a center for the fight against organized crime and terrorism among the police of Croatia and Serbia. We presented it to the public on September 6. It should be seen as a tool which the two interior ministries and police can use, to maintain direct cooperation on the strategic and operational levels.
The establishment of this communication channel provided for secure daily communication via a VPN tunnel, which will help in fighting organized crime. However, that’s only one of the activities on the way for establishing this center for the fight against organized crime and terrorism. It is important that both countries, Croatia and Serbia, are working on accomplishing the whole set of measures so that this center can work effectively. Forming it will open a new space for direct and operative cooperation and exchange of all criminal and intelligence information between Croatian and Serbian police. The center should also soon start to work on making mutual estimation of terrorism threats.
The establishment of a video link is extremely useful for work of the Croatian and Serbian police because it provides quality every-day communication on all the mutual issues, enables faster decision-making on important subjects, and lowers the costs of cooperation. Teams of detectives working together on cases are using the video-link daily. This is the main benefit that this communication channel has brought so far.
Oliver Grbic: The secure conference link between Zagreb and Belgrade was established as a part of an initiative for forming a center for the fight against organized crime and terrorism among the police of Croatia and Serbia. We presented it to the public on September 6. It should be seen as a tool which the two interior ministries and police can use, to maintain direct cooperation on the strategic and operational levels.
The establishment of this communication channel provided for secure daily communication via a VPN tunnel, which will help in fighting organized crime. However, that’s only one of the activities on the way for establishing this center for the fight against organized crime and terrorism. It is important that both countries, Croatia and Serbia, are working on accomplishing the whole set of measures so that this center can work effectively. Forming it will open a new space for direct and operative cooperation and exchange of all criminal and intelligence information between Croatian and Serbian police. The center should also soon start to work on making mutual estimation of terrorism threats.
The establishment of a video link is extremely useful for work of the Croatian and Serbian police because it provides quality every-day communication on all the mutual issues, enables faster decision-making on important subjects, and lowers the costs of cooperation. Teams of detectives working together on cases are using the video-link daily. This is the main benefit that this communication channel has brought so far.
more...
*About the interviewer:
Balkanalysis.com editor Ante Raić is an Associate of the Croatian National Television in Zagreb, Croatia. He graduated in Journalism and Political Science from the Faculty of Political Science in Zagreb. His main interests are in the research and analysis of foreign affairs, international cooperation, security, energy and the structure of the Croatian political system.
Balkanalysis.com editor Ante Raić is an Associate of the Croatian National Television in Zagreb, Croatia. He graduated in Journalism and Political Science from the Faculty of Political Science in Zagreb. His main interests are in the research and analysis of foreign affairs, international cooperation, security, energy and the structure of the Croatian political system.
read more: balkan analysis
Δεν υπάρχουν σχόλια:
Δημοσίευση σχολίου