Skopje, 29 March 2023 (MIA) — It is essential that the police, the prosecution and the judiciary cooperate and coordinate their activities while conducting criminal investigations, Interior Minister Oliver Spasovski told a panel discussion on pre-investigation procedures at the Faculty of Security on Wednesday.

In his address, Minister Spasovski stressed the importance of collecting evidence on the basis of which, he said, charges would or would not be pressed against a suspect. 

He said that North Macedonia, after adopting the Criminal Procedure Code, was in full alignment with European legislation and the criminal justice system was better in prosecuting corruption, financial crime, illegal drug trade, human trafficking and other forms of organized crime.

He also said the police were working closely together with prosecutors carrying out activities standardized to reflect the best practices and experiences in the field.

"The introduction of this series of legal mechanisms," the interior minister pointed out, "has provided us with objective opportunities to even better perform police duties and responsibilities."

Spasovski said the police had relatively quickly and successfully accepted and implemented the EU-aligned legal principles in close cooperation with the prosecution.

However, he said, the quality of a law largely depended on its practical application by competent institutions in their daily work.

"I believe today's expert discussions and debates will certainly give birth to new ideas and proposals that will find their place in the further practice within this extremely sensitive and important segment of the criminal justice system," Spasovski said. 

"Above all else, we are all motivated by the essential principles of legality, protection of human rights and freedoms, safety and security," he noted. mr/