In 2014, Internal Affairs Sector filed 148 criminal charges and 8 reports, amendments to criminal charges. 155 criminal charges against police officers and 28 criminal charges against citizens were filed to the competent public prosecutor.
187 criminal acts were included in the criminal charges. The most numerous criminal acts are abuse of official authority (72 cases). The number of other criminal acts is significantly smaller: accepting bribe (29), falsifying official documents (20), fraud (11), falsifying documents (7), whereas the number of other criminal acts is much smaller.
During 2014, priority in the activities of the Internal Affairs Sector was given to investigation of allegations stated in the petitions and other documents that indicated illegal work and unprofessional conduct of police officers. All applicants were timely and duly informed about progress and outcome of the investigation procedure as well as of the measures undertaken against police officers after it had been confirmed that omissions in the work were made. With the aim to create conditions for improved communication with citizens, the Internal Affairs Sector continued to maintain phone contacts with citizens, the practice that was established in 2012. Throughout the day, citizens can file complaint against police officers as well as report corruption through a special phone line installed in the Internal Affairs Sector.
During 2014, the Internal Affairs Sector received 4.696 documents (petitions, official notes, information and other documents) with allegations of abuse of official authority and other allegations of illegal and unprofessional conduct of the police officers. Out of this number, there were 3.751 petitions filed by citizens which is 79,8 % of the total number of documents that was processed by the Sector.
In the same timeframe, investigation of allegations that were stated in 4.922 documents was finalized:
During 2014, the Internal Affairs Sector, after it conducted investigation and identified omissions and irregularities in the conduct of the police officers, proposed initiation of measures against 424 police officers. Proposed measures:
-initiation of disciplinary proceedings for serious violation of official duty against 280 police officers;
-initiation of disciplinary proceedings for minor violation of official duty against 26 police officers;
-45 police officers were called to rapport and alerted about the founded omissions in their work;
-50 reports were submitted to the Heads of the Regional Police Directorates and MoI units in order for the Heads to take adequate measures against 73 police officers.
In addition, after investigation was conducted and omissions in functioning of particular lines of work were established as well as failure to eliminate specific activities, the police officers of the Internal Affairs Sector proposed other measures in 113 reports with the aim to eliminate observed omissions in the work and improve the quality of work, in other words provide for improved and more efficient organization of work.
During 2014, authorized persons in the Internal Affairs Sector processed 69 requests for submission of information of public importance and five complaints that were filed against granting no access to information of public importance in accordance with the Law on Free Access to Information of Public Importance. Out of the total number of requests, 61 requests were granted, 7 requests were dismissed and one request was denied.
Other activities of the Sector were aimed at:
-initiation of amendments to laws and bylaws,
-enhancing regional international cooperation,
-participating in implementation of the particular international projects that should, in the first place, provide for more successful and more efficient fight against corruption.
In November 2014, the Sector submitted amendments to the Law on Police that are reflected in the increase of competencies of the Sector. The Sector initiated drafting of bylaws.
The representatives of the Sector actively participated in drafting of the Action Plans for Chapter 23 and 24 as well as in drafting of measures for the implementation of obligations foreseen in the Action Plan for the implementation of the National Strategy for fight against corruption, primarily in preparation for establishment of integrity test mechanism, in implementation of risks analysis in particular of the MoI lines of work and in preparation of amendments to the Code of police ethics.
For the purpose of experience and information exchange, primarily with regard to fight against corruption, heads of the Sector had intensive contacts with representatives of other MoI units and other national authorities.
International cooperation was achieved through regular contacts with the representatives of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, ICITAP, representatives of Internal Affairs Services mostly from the neighbouring countries, study visits, participation of the representatives of the Sector in conferences, seminars and other gatherings of educational character.
Representatives of the Sector participated in the working groups formed at the level of the MoI as well as in the Commissions (Commission for monitoring implementation of the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and inhuman and degrading Treatment or Punishment, Professional Exam Commission, Commission for resolving Complaints in the MoI headquarters, Commission for establishment of material liability and other).
The title, competencies and composition of the Commission for monitoring implementation of the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and inhuman and degrading Treatment or Punishment were changed in June 2014 when, as based on the decision of the Minister of the Interior, the Commission for implementation of standards of the police conduct in the field of torture prevention was formed. The competencies of the Commission, in accordance with the obligations that the Republic of Serbia assumed after it ratified a number of Conventions on human rights and basic freedoms, are to implement recommendations of relevant international treaty bodies into the MoI daily practice.