FIRES IN TREBINJE HIGHLIGHT NEED FOR FORMATION OF POLICE AUXILIARY UNIT

TREBINJE, JULY 23 /SRNA/ – The fires in Trebinje have demonstrated the need to establish an auxiliary police unit, as neither the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Republic Civil Protection Administration, nor any firefighting or other organization alone is sufficient to handle such situations, said Minister of Internal Affairs Siniša Karan.

Karan emphasized that such an auxiliary police unit would primarily serve for prevention, to avoid natural disasters. "I hope we will manage to fully establish the auxiliary police unit by the end," Karan told reporters in Trebinje. He reiterated that the fires in Trebinje showed that none of the protection and rescue entities are strong enough to prevent such events on their own, but that this situation also showed the strength to eliminate their severe consequences. Today, Karan together with Police Director Siniša Kostrešević, visited members of the Aviation Administration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Republika Srpska, Civil Protection, Firefighting Units, and the Trebinje Police Administration, who have been engaged in extinguishing fires in the Trebinje area for the past 15 days. He thanked everyone who participated in protecting citizens' lives and property, adding that Trebinje is now ready to welcome guests during the tourist season. According to Karan, natural disasters have become a daily occurrence, which is why all segments of protection and rescue must be strengthened in times of peace. "We must find resources to act so these things do not happen, and with good capacities, primarily in material and technical equipment and manpower, we can prevent such situations," the minister stressed, adding that this example also showed that human resources are crucial. Karan added that this situation teaches that all members of the protection and rescue system, as well as citizens, have great awareness to show solidarity, unity, and cohesion during difficult times, as was the case in recent days. The minister believes that the primary cause of the fires is human factor, noting that in previous systems one of the key elements of sabotage and diversion were fires or other forms of emergencies. He added that in the future, they might consider harsher penalties for those who cause fires, but that greater public awareness is also needed, as sometimes people unintentionally start fires. During their continued visit to Trebinje, Karan and Kostrešević, together with Trebinje Mayor Mirko Ćurić, will implement the new video surveillance system in Trebinje, located within the premises of the Trebinje Police Administration.