May 15, 2024

First SEPCA General Assembly under Serbian Presidency

First SEPCA General Assembly under Serbian Presidency

On May 15, 2024, in Belgrade, the First SEPCA General Assembly was held during the Presidency of the Republic of Serbia, co-hosted and financed by the Criminal Intelligence Service of Austria (BK) through the Internal Security Fund 2021-2027.

The event brought together police chiefs from SEPCA member states along with the delegations from Austria, Interpol, Europol, CEPOL, OSCE Mission to Serbia and EU4FAST Project.

The main goal of the event was exchange of information on serious and organised crime with a cross-border dimension, with a particular focus on new threats and modus operandi in Cybercrime, Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling. Another topic discussed was improvement of Police Networks for Women in the region and their promotion in management positions.

The General Assembly was opened by Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Ivica Dacic, who underscored the ongoing commitment to advancing regional cooperation through SEPCA, bolstering the organization itself, and fostering coordinated endeavors with partners at both the European and global arenas.

The BK Director, general Andreas Holzer mentioned that: “During 2023, in Austria and in SEPCA region were identified an increased number of cases of criminal groups involved in Cybercrime activities like Ransomware, phishing, internet fraud, denial-of-service attacks on governmental institutions and social engineering. Besides that, THB and Migrants Smuggling are set to remain threats for the near future in the SEPCA Region and in the EU. Therefore, common actions to deal with the new challenges should be taken and further support and expertise from BK will be offered.”

INTERPOL Secretary General, Mr. Jürgen Stock emphasized that criminal networks seek to exploit national borders, hoping police information cannot follow them. He stressed our duty to prove them wrong and adjust our strategies accordingly.

Serbian Assistant Police Director and SEPCA President Dragan Vasiljević expressed confidence in the continued collaboration among member states. "I am confident that we will continue to work together in strengthening the bonds between our police forces, sharing best practices, and establishing effective mechanisms of cooperation" he said.