Lyubomir Nikolov Announces Drone‑Enabled Police Patrols to Boost Road Safety on Bulgaria’s Trakia Highway

Lyubomir Nikolov, chief secretary of Bulgaria’s Ministry of the Interior, gave his first televised interview since taking office and outlined a sweeping road‑safety campaign. The ministry will increase the number of patrols on all major highways, order every police vehicle to keep its lights on continuously for greater visibility, and deploy aerial drones and unmarked civilian cars to monitor aggressive drivers and dangerous manoeuvres.

The measures were prompted by a fatal crash on the Trakia motorway, where a mother learned of her child’s death from the media rather than the police—a lapse Nikolov called “a serious failure of protocol.” He also highlighted the need to inspect and reinforce road barriers (mantinels) before accidents occur.

In parallel, the interior ministry reported a large‑scale anti‑drug operation in Sofia’s Hristo Botev district, resulting in 2,300 arrests nationwide and 24 detentions in the neighbourhood. Nikolov said the crackdown, along with the new traffic‑control tactics, reflects a zero‑tolerance stance toward both road aggression and narcotics trafficking.