Skopje, 30 March 2023 (MIA) - The Public Prosecutor's Office and the Ministry of Interior signed on Thursday a protocol for cooperation as a result of a six-month active work of the working group set up for that purpose. 

"The necessity to create the protocol came not only from the established good practice of other European countries in the region, but also towards implementing European standards in the work of law enforcement institutions," said Interior Minister Oliver Spasovski. 

The protocol, he stressed, is the work of police officers from the criminal police who work on the ground, who cooperate with the public prosecutors and who have accurately diagnosed the segments that need to be refined in the process of mutual cooperation.

"Our common goal is to successfully detect, prove and prevent crimes and their perpetrators, as well as to effectively implement criminal proceedings while taking into account the protection of the rights of victims, suspects and accused persons, in accordance with national legislation and signed international agreements," Spasovski pointed out. 

Spasovski is convinced that this provides a modern tool for greater efficiency of law enforcement authorities while offering a guarantee of respect for the rights and freedoms of citizens.

Public Prosecutor Ljubomir Joveski said the adoption of the latest law on criminal procedure has completely changed the role of the public prosecutor in the pretrial investigation and investigation procedures. He noted that it is now in the competence of public prosecutors to coordinate all investigative actions and all parts of the justice police, including members of the Ministry of Interior, in order to enable efficient and swift investigation and gathering of all evidence necessary for criminal prosecution.

"Hence, our two institutions in their daily work are inevitably directed to close cooperation and joint action in order to prevent and expose all criminal charges and bring their perpetrators to justice. In that regard, we have really many results," said Joveski. 

He stressed that the protocol signed on Thursday will further boost cooperation and align work.