President Milanović thanked police members for their concern for public safety and said: Croatia will always be a state with its borders that should be protected
“The state of public safety in Croatia is good and it is largely thanks to you, for which I congratulate you!” the President of the Republic and Commander in Chief of the Croatian Armed Forces Zoran Milanović told members of the Ministry of the Interior at a formal reception held on the occasion of Police Day in the Office of the President of the Republic.
“Croatia as a state, a society, its historical, communal, current culture, family structure, all of this in a way contributes to the state of peace and public safety in general in the Croatian streets. It was also like that fifty and sixty years ago, and the good thing is that it hasn’t deteriorated. Because, as we see, the world is changing and things are going downhill”, the President noted.
Besides talking about the state of public safety, President Milanović referred to the role of the police in protecting Croatian borders. “Many years ago, each of us looked forward and with optimism and hope to the abolition of borders in Europe. However, the abolition of borders in itself, if taken literally, is the negation of the state. Croatia is a state, the national state of the Croatian people, won in the war in which the police made a big contribution. Croatian borders are something Croatia fought for and should never be experienced casually, comfortably and lightly. They are written down and every centimetre counts. No Schengen, no European Union, which is a common state, and no superstate. Croatia will always be a state with its borders. This border has to be protected”, President Milanović stated.
According to the President of the Republic, the third important topic for Croatia’s security is the introduction of conscription in Croatia: “Croatia has a problem with the reserve, the active reserve, these are people who are growing old and today, on average, they are significantly older than they were yesterday, their average age is too high. Consequently, there will have to be serious discussion on conscription. Conscription, with all the barriers and difficulties that go with it, is a serious topic for a very serious conversation at the highest level. Not ad hoc, not according to one’s judgment or intuition or daily political instinct and needs”.
“We abolished conscription in 2007 because more than 80 percent of conscripts appealed to their conscience. Seventeen years have passed and those who were thirty years old and were reserves of the Croatian national guard, are now 47 years old and that’s a bit too old. Replenishment is necessary, and one of the ways, perhaps the main way, is to train at least a few thousand people with the most elementary knowledge every year, because obviously there are no conditions for more than that. Because, as far as staffing is concerned, the command staff, especially non-commissioned officers, the army is understaffed. The most important resource is human resource, you cannot buy it in this line of work, you cannot import it”, President Milanović concluded.
Police director Nikola Milina thanked President Milanović on behalf of the Croatian police. He reminded of the role of the police in the Homeland War as well as the results of police work today in the fight for the rule of law. “The Republic of Croatia today is one of the safest countries in the world in many categories. Likewise, the Croatian police conduct multiple operations on an international level in suppressing organized crime. As we have done until now, we will make every further effort – despite critics, that are always welcome – to do our work even better, maintain a favourable state of security and develop as all modern European polices”, the Police director Milina stated among others.
On the occasion of Police Day, President Milanović decorated five police stations and employees of the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Croatia at the formal reception in the Office of the President of the Republic.
For demonstrated prowess of its members in the Homeland War, the President of the Republic awarded the Order of Nikola Šubić Zrinski to the police stations of Drniš, Glina and Vinkovci, and for outstanding merit of its members in the Homeland War, he awarded the Order of the Croatian Trefoil to the police station in Virovitica and the border police station in Cetingrad.
For acts of heroism in the Homeland War, the Order of Nikola Šubić Zrinski was bestowed upon Ivica Premužić, for extraordinary merit in the Republic of Croatia gained in the war, the Order of the Croatian Trefoil was bestowed upon Ivica Perković, and for participation in the Homeland War, the Homeland War Memorial Medal was bestowed upon Krešo Puljić.
The President of the Republic awarded the Homeland Gratitude Memorial Medal for honourable and exemplary service to 150 police officers, and at the formal reception in the Office of the President of the Republic, 113 members of the Ministry of the Interior received their decoration. The following received their decoration: Josip Abramović, Ivana Asanović, Iva Balgač, Nikola Barić, Lovre Batur, Tamara Belina, Ivica Bezer, Danijel Blaić, Sendy Bonicioli, Boro Borojević, Blaženka Bosak, Štefica Bradač, Đuro Brico, Davor Budiščak, Luka Bukvić, Josip Cavrić, Krešimir Cesar, Goran Crnković, Anita Cvrlje, Karmen Červar, Mirta Čoh, Marina Čolić, Petar Domazet, Siniša Došenović, Vlatka Dučić, Dalibor Dumbović, Kristina Duvnjak, Zlatko Đurđević, Marko Faltak, Jasna Galeković, Ruža Gorički, Maja Grdenić, Vladimir Gujinović, Zvonko Hanzić, Jasmin Hasukić, Ivan Ivanović, Jasmina Jalšovec, Damir Juras, Željko Kadoić, Ivica Katalinić, Željko Kirin, Katica Klišanić, Tomislav Klobučar, Marina Knežević, Krunoslav Kokić, Lidija Kosec, Sandra Kovač, Danijela Kralj, Elio Krivičić, Nedeljko Kučej, Ivica Lesar, Mladen Lokin, Ivan Lozar, Mirjana Makarin, Željka Malenica, Tomislav Mamić, Lidija Mamuza, Marko Marić, Tonči Marinović, Ljiljana Marmarac, Karmela Maroši, Carmen Matas, Ines Matišić Kunštek, Marija Matas Čuljak, Jasna Matković, Perica Matošević, Igor Mijolović, Željko Mikić, Marijana Mikulandra, Josip Milaković, Marko Milošević, Anto Mišura, Davor Mudri, Damir Muhvić, Dubravko Nikolić, Dragan Nišler, Marija Pajur, Danijela Papec, Tihomir Paulić, Ivan Pavličević, Dubravka Perica Palijaš, Radojka Perić, Štefica Peršin, Robert Pešt, Snježana Petković, Ružica Puzjak, Željko Rambousek, Tamara Rogić, Boris Sambolek, Mirjana Silaj, Sandra Spudić, Željko Suntešić, Dražen Sušanj, Tihomir Svatoš, Vladimir Šariri, Mirjana Šinković, Petar Škorvaga, Marin Šnobl, Miro Štefanec, Ružica Štimac, Ružica Štorek, Ante Šućur, Dario Tajzler, Dubravka Tolić, Lada Tomić, Zrinko Topić, Goran Troskot, Dražen Turković, Robert Vene, Josip Veselčić, Goran Vinković, Dalibor Vlahović and Darko Zirdum.
Slavko Živčić, head of the Cetingrad border police station, thanked the President of the Republic on behalf of all those who were decorated.
Attending the formal reception in the Office of the President of the Republic besides the Police director Nikola Milina, were Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Davor Božinović, the Chief of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces Lieutenant General Tihomir Kundid, the Director of the Directorate in the Ministry of Croatian Veterans Dinko Tandara, the Director of the Office of the National Security Council Valentin Franjić, the Military ordinary in the Republic of Croatia Msgr. Jure Bogdan, State secretaries, officials and managers in the Ministry of the Interior and the Police Directorate, heads of police directorates and of the Police Academy, the Director of the General Staff Major General Krešo Tuškan, as well as representatives of commands and institutions of the Croatian Armed Forces, former Ministers of the Interior, former Police directors, presidents and representatives of the Police Union of Croatia and the Independent Union of Ministry of the Interior employees, representatives of the Croatian Firefighting Association, winners, competitors and leaders of the “Šimo Đamić – Štit Domovine Pula 2024“ Memorial in the women’s and men’s categories and the veterans’ category of the Special Police units from the Homeland War, and representatives of associations of Homeland War units, war commanders of special police units of police directorates in the Republic of Croatia and war members of special police units.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Marko Beljan