Skopje, 15 November 2024 (MIA) – The Interior Ministry (MoI) has in the past issued firearms licenses to people who didn’t meet conditions and after an internal investigation, 15 top police officers were fired, announced Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski Friday at a joint press conference with Minister for Digital Transformation, Stefan Andonovski. The two ministers presented the new digital tool, designed to allow unselective approach when issuing licenses and to facilitate the process of issuing documents to citizens.

Toshkovski said that many people had sent complaints to him personally and to his cabinet involving the way the Interior Ministry had been conducting procedures to issue firearms licenses. After a thorough probe, it was concluded that the process was selective rather than chronological.

“Following a disciplinary procedure, 15 termination of employment contracts were handed out to top police officers that had issued permits and operated against the law. Those who will be proven to have committed a crime will be charged, probably with abuse of office,” said Toshkovski. 

The Minister stated that a digital tool was designed in cooperation with the Ministry for Digital Transformation to reduce costs and help citizens exercise their right provided that they meet the conditions. 

“To provide a systemic solution, in cooperation with the Ministry for Digital Transformation, we created a digital tool allowing unselective and systemic approach to the issuing of licenses. It means we will allow the citizens to exercise their right provided that they meet the conditions regulated by law without having any costs,’ Toshkovski said adding the system will fill the databases and the citizens won’t have to file requests to institutions to be issued documents. 

“Whether it is a minister, a commander, a committee chairman, the process will be unselective. The system will have access to data and will determine whether applicants meet the conditions or not,” stated Minister Toshkovski. 

Photo: MIA