ZAGREB, March 4, 2020 - The parliamentary Domestic Policy and National Security Committee's chair, Ranko Ostojić (SDP), on Wednesday said that without changing the law, at the moment the army could only provide assistance to Croatia's police in protecting the border.
"According to current legislation the army can only provide support. It could have done that even earlier during the last migrant crisis. That has not changed. It (the military) does not have police powers," Ostojić told reporters in Parliament House.
He explained that the army can provide all forms of support to the police (all forms of logistics, various types of assistance, and so on).
Social Democratic Party MP Ostojić also said that all those who were calling for the army deployment on the border should realise that the border protection falls within the remit of the police, while the military could only help police personnel.
Asked whether Croatia had the option like Slovenia did in 2015 when it entrusted the army with new powers for three months, Ostojić said that the law needs to be amended for that.
"It is necessary to change the law. They have a different legislative solution that allows the army to have police powers. We don't have that here," he said.
Ostojić believes that there is no need to make any changes to the law because with 6,500 police officers Croatia has sufficient forces to fulfil its duties.
Everyone needs to abide by the law, he said adding that he thinks this mistrust in the Interior Ministry is odd.
"I don't know what that is founded on. The police are sufficiently capable to do their job. At the moment that a crisis occurs which would require the army's engagement, then I think that the National Security Council might offer some new solutions" Ostojić concluded.
More news about the migrant crisis can be found in the Politics section.
