Elhovo, Southeast Bulgaria, Nov 08 (BTA/GNA) –
Commenting on the shooting incident on the Bulgaria Turkiye border that ended with a Bulgarian police officer shot dead, caretaker Minister of Interior Ivan Demerdzhiev told reporters on Tuesday morning that the perpetrators were illegal migrants. “We will show zero tolerance towards anyone, who threatens the lives or well-being of our officers at the borders,” said Demerdzhiev.
The deceased officer had 8 years of experience on the job.
In Demerdzhiev’s words, the state of the border barrier and the technical equipment of the border patrols has been improved in recent months. “Millions have been invested to secure the border technologically. There is more to be done – we are following a plan,” said the Minister.
Weapons will be used by both border guards and military personnel, Demerdzhiev stated. He specified that border security officers will be equipped with much more powerful weapons that will be used whenever suspicions arises that an officer’s life is threatened.
Demerdzhiev said that the video surveillance in the area was of no help because at night the cameras can only record silhouettes. According to the Minister, there had been no similar cases here for many years, and the Border Police administration cannot be criticized for the incident.
Secretary General of the Ministry of the Interior Petar Todorov stated that all measures will be taken to ensure the safety of law enforcement officers. Bulgarian authorities immediately got in touch with their Turkish counterparts, who promised to do everything in their power to catch the perpetrators and bring them to justice. Todorov confirmed that the migrants were trying to cross the border.
Demerdzhiev said that, if caught, they will be trialled in Turkiye. The Interior Minister will be speaking to his Turkish counterpart later Tuesday. “I will demand from Turkiye to dismantle the smuggling networks,” said Demerdzhiev and added that he made similar requests from Europol and the European Commission.
BTA/GNA