Ceremony marking the 200th anniversary of the Romanian Police

The Romanian police needs to invest in modernisation and logistics, but also to constantly adapt legislation to the evolution of technology, so that law enforcement officers have the tools to fight new types of crime. These are the main messages from the ceremony marking the 200th anniversary of the Romanian Police, held yesterday at the Military Circle in Bucharest.

Reporter: Diana Surdu - Interior Minister Catalin Predoiu said that success in the fight against drug trafficking cannot be achieved by political statements alone, and that parties must seriously consider investing in the modernisation of their internal law enforcement forces.

Catalin Predoiu: The European Anti-Drug Fountainhead is funded this year by the state budget with one billion lei. If it's a lot, or little, I don't want to judge here, but if we want policing and efficiency, we must also invest. I think we must think very seriously in the coming period, in the long term - 4-10 years - about the modernisation of the Romanian Police, also in terms of logistics.

Reporter - Diana Surdu: For his part, the Prosecutor General Alex Florenta listed the challenges faced by police and prosecutors, from legislative loopholes exploited by criminals to budgetary and human constraints.

Alex Florenta: In an era of rapid technological advances and ever-evolving criminal manifestations, our legal frameworks must adapt quickly to keep pace with these changes. However, the legislative process often lags behind, leading to outdated or inadequate laws that fail to adequately address emerging threats. Combating drugs, human and arms trafficking, illegal migration, public order, traffic surveillance are challenges to which the police have responded in the last year. Law enforcement officers have seized over 1.200 kg of high-risk drugs, over 3 million pills and saved over 200 lives in action.

Translated by: Radu Matei