The first phase of the announced Belgrade security project was presented, within which the formation of the Belgrade Security Service is also planned. However, there are a number of questions about what it is for and whether it is legal
Mayor of Belgrade Aleksandar Šapić presented the recently completed first phase of a major security project City of Belgrade.
This project, as one of the most significant in the city, was announced several times by Šapić, and within it, apart from the installation of cameras in the courtyards of all kindergartens and elementary schools, software for the detection of weapons and hard objects was developed, central video surveillance was installed, the Belgrade Security Service and communal security stations were formed.
The document with the details of the project and the method of its realization is not available on the website of the City of Belgrade, and "Vreme" sent a request for the delivery of the document to the information service of the city, however, the answer did not reach the publication of this text.
Nikola Jovanović from the Center for Local Self-Government explains to "Vreme" that the project formally does not exist as such and that everything is presented as "marketing" and "semi-secret".
"Safety in Belgrade must be a priority, especially for children and schoolchildren, and I insisted on that even as a councilor. It can be increased in three ways. The first is the establishment by special law of the Belgrade or Preston Police, which is the proposal of the CLS. The second is better cooperation with the MUP and the formation of some joint bodies. The third is by giving greater powers to the municipal militia and it is probably the weakest municipality of the three and legally questionable. The project presented by Šapić is the fourth, worst option for increasing security in Belgrade, which is not clear to anyone and causes many doubts", says Jovanović.
Are the cameras operated by private security?
Mayor Šapić presented the implementation of the first phase in the video surveillance center, where the cameras of all Belgrade schools are monitored and which, as he explained, covers "every inch" of every school yard with cameras that have software that recognizes firearms and cold weapons.
All primary schools in the capital are covered by cameras, and as he announced, all kindergartens should be covered by the end of 2025.
Currently, there is no face recognition option in the software, Deputy Mayor Vesna Vidović noted.
The umbrella in monitoring the system will be the Belgrade Security Service, and the City of Belgrade will closely cooperate with the MUP on all issues of further application and the way the software works, explained Šapić.
The formation of this service was announced by the mayor at the end of 2024, but there are many questions that arise regarding the competence of this service.
Namely, the City of Belgrade does not have original competences in the field of security, but can exclusively deal with communal order. The MUP is in charge of security, so without changes to the law, it is only possible to improve cooperation with the MUP, Nikola Jovanović reminded earlier.
"Neither is there a legal basis for private companies to take over public security, nor is it clear that the regular police, utility workers, or policemen are not used for that." Of course, it remains to be seen how much money will be poured into private security firms. It's all very controversial", explains Jovanović for "Vreme".
And Predrag Petrović from the Belgrade Center for Security Policy explained, after the announcement of the formation of this service, that Belgrade does not need such additional security measures.
"Given that the government boasts that Belgrade is very safe and that crime has never been less in the whole of Serbia, there are no specific security reasons for the Belgrade Security Service," Petrović said at the time.
"The police have the exclusive authority to take care of public order and peace, and this announcement that the new security service in Belgrade will also patrol the streets and around schools seems completely illegal." Those security guards can just walk around like any other citizen, but they can't exercise private security powers. They can exercise their powers at events and public gatherings, but not patrol the streets." Petrovic said then.
The extended arm of the security system in Belgrade
During the presentation of the first phase of the project, Šapić said that it will be an extension of the security system in Belgrade, at the top of which is the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
This service, according to his words, will not intervene, but will patrol the city and, in accordance with the agreement, inform the Belgrade police, as well as the communal militia, if it turns out that there are violations of communal rules and threats to public order and peace.
"Sapić presented some video surveillance system that is not connected to the MUP and for which he himself does not know how much data it stores and where it stores it." We don't even know how much it costs," says Nikola Jovanović for "Vreme".
Utility Safety Stations - $1,33 billion contract
The operation of all cameras is now monitored from a centralized base, and the installation of communal security stations that will be in charge of schools and kindergartens in their area is in progress, explained the mayor during the presentation of the completion of the first phase.
So far, 15 out of 104 such stations have been installed, and all should be completed by 2026, the mayor said.
The contract for the construction of the container, which "Vreme" had an insight into, was awarded to a group of bidders in the summer of 2023, and its total value is 1,33 billion dinars.
"Nobody knows what it's for, and it hasn't even started." My proposal to the mayor is to give up this project, to leave the city budget alone, and to strategically work on the formation of a special Belgrade police force", says Jovanović for "Vreme".
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