The Ministry of Internal Affairs has included the "Cybercrime" Directorate of the Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in monitoring profiles and groups on social networks in which threats, aggressive content or violence are published. This was announced by the Minister of Internal Affairs Ivan Demerdzhiev at a briefing in Plovdiv on the occasion of the investigation into the brutal murder of a 37-year-old man near the Youth Hill.
He stated that some of the information that subsequently appeared publicly on social networks was already known to the investigators and helped to identify those involved in the case.
According to him, the purpose of the increased monitoring on the Internet is to detect such manifestations before they develop into real violence. "We have included the Directorate of Cybercrime and Anti-Terrorism Investigation through the Cybercrime Directorate to monitor such manifestations, documenting aggression or threats on social networks. As we see, relatively innocent at first glance threats or hints can lead to what happened. This is absolutely unacceptable", the Minister of Internal Affairs was categorical.
He called on parents to pay more attention to the behavior and environment of their children.
Demerdzhiev pointed out that the police have already identified other individuals with similar profiles and will continue their actions, but warned that the Ministry of Internal Affairs cannot independently compensate for problems accumulated in other areas.
"The Ministry cannot replace education and family upbringing. "Don't expect everything from the Ministry of Interior," he emphasized and added: "We are doing everything we can and will continue to do so."
In connection with the investigation, the director of the Plovdiv police, Senior Commissioner Vasil Kostadinov, specified that the work is still in its initial stage. It has been established that ten people were present at the scene, with investigators clarifying the role of each of them. "The fact that five charges have been filed at the moment does not mean that at a later stage, based on the evidence collected, there cannot be other defendants," Kostadinov explained and added that it has already been established that some of those present participated in inflicting injuries to the victim.
Due to investigative secrecy, Kostadinov refused to answer a question about whether the police had access to the victim's phone and what his communication with a 15-year-old girl contained. However, the law enforcement agencies were aware of the entire mechanism of committing the crime in all its phases.
Demerdzhiev emphasized that the Ministry of Interior will not tolerate the actions of self-proclaimed groups that claim to be searching for alleged perpetrators of crimes themselves, including the so-called "pedophile hunters".
"There is no place for such actions that citizens commit on their own. Anyone who has information about an illegal act must provide it to the Ministry of Interior. We cannot fight crime in this way. There are bodies and institutions in the state," the minister was categorical.
He added that the Ministry of Interior is also analyzing the possibility of additional legislative measures related to the use of social networks by minors. "We are discussing all possible measures. We will conduct a detailed analysis and if we consider that such solutions are working, we will propose them", the minister commented.
According to his data, the police monitor groups and profiles regardless of their subcultural affiliation, when their behavior crosses the boundaries of the law. However, the Interior Minister emphasized that more employees, equipment and better interaction between institutions are needed for more effective control.
"Countering crime requires complex interaction between law enforcement agencies. I appeal to both the prosecutor's office and the investigation to actively participate in this process. We cannot fill the entire vacuum that we found in the law enforcement sphere alone,", the Interior Minister summarized.