ZAGREB, September 11, 2018 - Border police in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina are cooperating well in preventing illegal migration and the Bosnian side is prepared to engage all its capacities to control those occurrences, it was said on Monday following a meeting of Bosnia's border police director Zoran Galić and Croatia's Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina Ivan Del Vechio.
A press release said that Galić explained that the country's border police were investing significant effort so that border control was as efficient as possible and confirmed that he was satisfied with the good cooperation with Croatia's police as it ensured fast and professional action and treatment of migrants attempting to illegally cross the border.
According to data by Bosnia's police agencies, since the start of the year a little more than 13,000 illegal migrants entered the country from Serbia and Montenegro, and they all endeavour to continue their journey across Croatia toward West Europe.
Due to the increased influx of migrants since October 2017, Bosnia's border police are acting according to a special plan of emergency engagement of police officers and equipment in border areas exposed to increased migrant pressure.
"That includes maximum engagement of available personnel and technical resources," Galić said, adding that police officers from other law enforcement agencies had been working together with border police, which was a significant step forward in the fight against illegal migrations.
Ambassador Del Vechio told Galić that Croatia was willing to continue and improve cooperation between the two police forces in information exchange, prevention of illegal migrations and the fight against all forms of cross-border crime.