• Thursday, 31 July 2025

Becic: Institutions committed to fighting eco-crime

Becic: Institutions committed to fighting eco-crime

 

 

Podgorica, (MINA) – The institutions of the system are committed to combating eco-crime, and that there will be no privileged or protected individuals in that fight, said Deputy Prime Minister for Security, Defense, Crime Fighting and Internal Affairs, Aleksa Becic.

Becic made this statement following a clean-up operation in the sanitary zone of the Bolje Sestre water source, organized on Wednesday by the Montenegrin Coast Regional Water Supply Company.

By organizing the action, the Regional Water Supply Company joined the national environmental protection campaign “Čuvaj da te čuva”.

Becic said that the devastation of rivers, the destruction of natural resources and the illegal extraction of gravel have led to major natural and economic damage.

“Today, the institutions of the system are genuinely committed to combating the ecocrime challenges, and rest assured that in that fight there will be no privileged, nor protected”, said Becic.

He recalled that during the session of the Bureau for Operational Coordination (BOK) he proposed the formation of a specialized unit that will deal exclusively with the fight against environmental crime, while the BOK tasked the Ministry of the Interior (MUP) to prepare a necessary change to staffing plans in order to form such a unit within the crime fighting sector as soon as possible.

He pointed out that he expects his counterparts from the prosecution to adopt a similar model by the end of summer or beginning of autumn.

EU Ambassador to Montenegro, Johann Sattler said that this action took place at one of the most important ecological sites, not just for Podgorica, but also for the entire country, because water for the entire Montenegrin coast comes from the Bolje Sestre water source.

He stated that years ago there was evidence that gravel was being extracted from the the Moraca riverbed, which posed a serious threat to the water supply of the entire coast.

Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Development of the North, Damjan Culafic, said that this action confirms that, by protecting the environment of Montenegro, the constitutional order is being preserved.

“I think that the prevention of the illegal extraction of gravel from the Moraca riverbed was a continues to be a historic step forward and that all further activities will also contribute to that”, said Culafic.

Executive Director of the Regional Water Supply Company, Krsto Radovic, thanked Sattler, Becic, Culafic, NGO sector representatives and the Podgorica Landfill for supporting this action as part of the “Čuvaj da te čuva”campaign.

 

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