Skopje, 19 April 2024 (MIA) — Caretaker Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski paid a working visit to the Interior Ministry's regional offices in Ohrid and said staff needed larger and better located premises to do their work more efficiently, according to an official press release.

Toshkovski also said the Ohrid police had a plan for the upcoming elections and were ready to deal with any potential security challenges. The interior minister then visited the Lake and Traffic Police as well as the St. Naum Border Police, where he held working meetings with the management.

According to the release, the security situation in the Ohrid region is stable, and the first quarter of 2024 saw a 13.5 percent drop in the crime rate compared to the first quarter of 2023. Police staffing remains a problem, however, with only 52 percent of police jobs filled, the release says.

"Given that Ohrid is a popular tourist destination in the summer, there is a need for an additional number of police officers and expansion of capacities, especially of the Peshtani police station," the release quotes Toshkovski as saying.

Speaking to the Ohrid Lake border surveillance police, Toshkovski learned that they protect the 23.4 km blue border and carry out surveillance and sanctioning of illegal migration, cross-border crime, inland navigation, and illegal fishing.

The interior minister noted that they needed more trained police officers with licences for driving motorized vessels as well as an agreement with a company for the servicing of vessels.

The St. Naum border police station needed more skilled officers and better education and staff training opportunities, Toshkovski said. mr/