Minister of Interior Daniel Mitov stated that despite the need for optimizations in the Ministry of Interior system, a reduction in the operational capacity of the services should not be allowed. He participated in the celebration of the professional holiday of the Bulgarian police and the Day of Saint Archangel Michael - the patron saint of law enforcement officers in the General Directorate of Internal Affairs.
„Optimizations always exist and will exist, but the capacity should not be stripped down, because then they will start asking where the police are, where the fire department is, where the gendarmerie is“, commented Mitov. He recalled that over the past 15 years, the staff of the ministry has been reduced by about 12 thousand people, while the volume of responsibilities has not decreased.
According to him, in the public space there is often speculation that Bulgaria has “too many police officers per capita“, but such positions come from people who “do not have a clear idea of the structure and functions of the Ministry of Interior“.
Mitov pointed out that after the budget procedure is completed, a plan for optimizing the ministry will be presented. “After the budget and the passions surrounding it are passed, at the beginning of next year we will present specific measures“, he said.
The Minister of Interior also refuted the theses that the work of the “Border Police“ has decreased after Bulgaria's entry into Schengen. “Europe needs our border police. The Bulgarian border cannot be crossed illegally, and the work of the Ministry of Interior cannot be hindered“, Mitov emphasized on the occasion the tragic incident near Burgas, in which six migrants died.