First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Ivica Dacic, Russian Ambassador to Serbia Alexander Konuzin, representative of the OSCE mission to Serbia Sande Torbjorn and First Secretary at the Norwegian embassy Siri Andersen today put into operation the automatic ballistics identification system (ABIS).

Dacic said that the new equipment for the Ministry of the Interior’s criminal centre will help the police to determine not only from which weapon a bullet was fired, but also to connect criminal acts committed by the same perpetrators.

The use of ABIS will considerably improve the police’s capacity at the forensic level and will also provide material evidence to process the suspects in court.

If we link the centre with our DNA laboratory and the finger-print based data search system, our police will be several steps ahead of other police departments in the region when it comes to technical capacity, stressed Dacic.

He voiced his hope that the new equipment will help to fight crime more efficiently, reiterating that there can be no successful police if they are not equipped with state-of-the-art equipment.

The fact that the number of police officers from other countries coming to Serbia for training is increasing best speaks about the technological level of equipment in the Serbian police, said the Minister.

By equipping the police we are continuing with reforms and at the same time forming a modern, highly-educated and efficient police department, able to fight all forms of crime, Dacic added.

Russian Ambassador to Serbia Alexander Konuzin announced that cooperation between the Serbian and Russian police will be continued and expanded to other levels.

First Secretary at the Norwegian embassy Siri Andersen said she is impressed with Serbia’s progress in criminal techniques.

One of the key pillars in the fight against organised crime is a forensics centre able to keep up with the speed with which criminals are improving their techniques, said Andersen.

ABIS is a donation from Norway and Russia and its introduction is part of the project to boost the capacity of Belgrade’s National Criminal-Technical Centre for conducting criminal, technical and forensic research, implemented by the OSCE mission to Serbia.

The use of the ABIS system will considerably improve possibilities for uncovering criminal acts at the forensic level, as well as provide material evidence for processing perpetrators in court.