According to data from the Sofia Directorate of Internal Affairs (SDVR), 70 - 80% of minors and juveniles committing anti-social acts in Sofia are known to the police. Despite this, SDVR officers often find themselves “with their hands tied”. The reason is that the Law on Combating Antisocial Behavior by Minors and Juveniles was adopted and promulgated in the middle of the last century - 1958.
This is stated by the Minister of Interior Daniel Mitov in response to a parliamentary question published on the website of the National Assembly, asked by MP Nikolay Radulov from the MECH parliamentary group. The MP asks what measures the Ministry of Interior is taking to stop the aggression of the so-called locales and what prevention is being applied.
In the framework of police operations for the period from May 28 to July 20, 6789 people were checked, of whom 3003 were minors and 814 were from the criminal contingent. 65 prohibited items or objects were found among those checked. 58 acts of establishing administrative violations were drawn up, 57 warning protocols. 49 people were detained.
According to the Minister, although the law has been amended many times over the years, it categorically does not meet the contemporary realities and the risks of modern times for children and young people. The Ministry of Interior needs more and more adequate legislative instruments in order to be able to counteract even more effectively both the groups of the so-called locales and juvenile delinquency in general.
The Ministry of Interior is actively involved in the preparation of a completely new Law on Juvenile Justice, for the preparation of which an interdepartmental working group has been established, which is tasked with analyzing the existing regulatory framework in the field of combating antisocial behavior of minors and juveniles, international standards and good practices and proposing legislative amendments. The national program “Police Work in Schools“ is mandatory for the training of police officers in the field of ”Child Crime' in the country.
The measures that the Ministry of Interior employees take to prevent and counteract the illegal behavior of young people with similar manifestations are related to identifying and monitoring these individuals, establishing their identity, removing them from anonymity, collecting information about the structure and activities of the group. Inspectors from the children's pedagogical rooms work with all identified children, perpetrators of crimes or victims, conduct individual conversations with the child and their parents, explaining and drawing attention to the consequences of participating in street groups and committing violations.
Minister Mitov added that in connection with the cases of violence and anti-social acts by minors and juveniles committed in shopping centers on the territory of Sofia, a permanent inter-institutional working group has been established on the problems of violence by and against children in public places in commercial establishments. A plan has been prepared for taking measures and actions to resolve the problem, with each partner participating according to its competences. All participants meet once a month, reporting on the activities carried out and planning new ones, according to the current situation.