Skopje, 7 November 2023 (MIA) - The Financial Police Office is stepping up its capacities in the fight against organized crime. With the support of the United Kingdom, the Financial Police Office will get a new modern system to digitize the processes, thus speed up the flow of information within the institution as well as exchange of information with other institutions, and making better decisions towards more effective action in dealing with organized crime.

Head of the Financial Police Office, Goran Ivanov, and Darren Partridge from the UK's Revenue and Customs authority (HMRC) signed on Tuesday a memorandum of cooperation to implement this project, the Ministry of Finance said in a press release.

Finance Minister Fatmir Besimi and British Ambassador Matthew Lawson attended the event. 

"The Financial Police Office is a key institution in the country in the fight against organized financial crime and the protection of national financial interests. Strengthening its capacities and the introduction of new modern systems further contribute to increasing efficiency in the fight against the informal economy and organized crime," Besimi said. 

He added that strong institutions, a coordinated approach and mutual cooperation build an efficient system in dealing with organized crime and corruption, which will contribute to improving the competitiveness of the economy and economic growth.

"Building the capacity and capability of the Financial Police Office in North Macedonia to enhance their financial investigation capacity to manage complex casework, show audit trails and increase transparency is fundamental in disrupting criminal organisations at a national and international level," Ambassador Lawson said. 

The Ambassador said the purpose of the memorandum is to specify the web-based multi-platform Enterprise Content Management System with Case Management Tools and licenses that will be granted by the UK's HMRC to the Financial Police Office of North Macedonia in order to fulfill the objectives of preventing and detecting economic, financial and organized crime and define the provisions for its use and maintenance.

The new system in the Financial Police Office is a donation from the United Kingdom, made possible through the UK Embassy in the country, and implemented by the UK's HMRC.

It is a software solution that will increase the operational capacity of the Financial Police Office to better monitor and detect organized crime and improve the efficiency of processes and procedures, thus improving performance in the fight against serious and organized crime.

Photo: Ministry of Finance