Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic said on Tuesday during a visit to the state border in Brod-Posavina County that, thanks to the Croatian police, there had been no tensions or shootings in the region, although some would wish otherwise.

“My message to those who want to stir up panic and scare people, as well as to the public, is that Croatia is a safe country and will continue to be safe, and the guarantee of this safety is the work of the Croatian police,” Bozinovic said.

After seeing the work of the police in controlling the state border, including accompanying border police officers on a patrol on the Sava River, Bozinovic said that there have been no tensions or shootings in this eastern county bordering Bosnia and Herzegovina, which some would like to see.

“Maybe they want fences to be erected on the border… others want us to let everyone in so that we do not just have natural rivers, but rivers of migrants,” he added.

On the results of border controls, Bozinovic said that the government was pursuing a sensible policy that was producing results and would continue to do so.

592 smugglers arrested in Croatia this year

The minister also added that a total of 592 smugglers had been arrested throughout Croatia this year.

“This sector covers the entire border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, which stretches for 175 kilometres along the river. The police face numerous challenges here, not only to prevent migrants from crossing the border, but also to protect their lives,” said Bozinovic. Last year alone, the police rescued more than 40 people from the Sava River, including women and children,” he said.

From the beginning of this year until 25 March, a total of 54 smugglers and their helpers were arrested in the Brod-Posavina County police jurisdiction. This is an increase of 350 per cent compared to last year, when 12 of them were arrested. At the same time, a total of 592 smugglers and their helpers were arrested throughout Croatia. This is an increase of 115 per cent compared to last year, when 275 of them were arrested.

Turudic did not receive an armoured vehicle

The minister also commented on the investigation into the discovery of two bullets in the car of new State Attorney-General Ivan Turudic and President Zoran Milanovic‘s statement that the case, which was reported last week, had already taken place a month ago.

“Milanovic’s statement, like some of his previous statements, is that he is familiar with the course of the police investigation. This is not the case. The credibility of his statements is best demonstrated by the fact that he said yesterday that Turudic was given an armoured police car, which is an absolute lie,” Bozinovic said.

When asked if there were any new elements in the investigation into the case, Bozinovic said he was not aware of any new elements and that the investigation was ongoing.

The minister confirmed that Turudic had received a police escort, but reiterated that he had not received an armoured car.

When asked whether Turudic’s car was shot at a month ago, as Milanovic claimed, Bozinovic repeated that he did not know and invited reporters to ask Milanovic about it.