Italy and Slovenia Agree Cross-Border Police Cooperation
Interior Minister Dragutin Mate and his Italian counterpart Giuliano Amato signed an agreement on cross-border police cooperation in Ljubljana on Monday in what Mate described as an "upgrade of all agreements so far".
According to Mate, the agreement will facilitate even more effective cooperation between both police forces, in particular in the prevention of cross-border crime. Police officers will be able to track suspects up to 30 kilometres into the other country while joint patrols can operate up to 10 kilometres beyond the border on both sides, Mate said. He pointed to the emergence of cross-border crime, which accompanies the expansion of the Schengen passport-free area, when criminals flee into the other country. "Only good and effective cooperation between both police forces can contribute to success in combating such crime."
Amato added that Slovenia and Italy had been members of the the same economic area for a while, while the borders would be eliminated with Slovenia's entry into the Schengen area, which is planned for the end of the year. "Once control on the internal borders is phased out, illegal migrations and crime will become a common problem. The police forces of both countries will need to have the same information to be able to respond to the challenge adequately. The agreement signed today will primarily serve this purpose," Amato said. The Italian minister highlighted drug trafficking as one of the most acute problems in cross-border crime.
The agreement signed today foresees collaboration in cross-border secret monitoring and tracking, persecution, secret operations in the investigation of crime and joint patrols, among other things. The agreement moreover determines the legal aspects of cooperation, such as the rules governing the entry, exit and residence of police officers while working in the other country, the rules regarding uniform wear and the use of instruments of restraint and weapons, as well as liability and responsibility of officers for crimes or damage.
During their meeting in Ljubljana today Mate and Amato also discussed the priorities of Slovenia's presidency over the EU in the first half of 2008 and the upcoming expansion of the Schengen area.
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