Macedonia's Interior Minister Defends Smart Domestic Violence Victim System Amid Spy Claims

Interior Minister Panche Toskovski announced plans for a digital system that would instantly locate victims of domestic violence, identify the nearest police officers, and trigger the fastest medical and social assistance. The tool would capture audio and video from the caller’s phone during an emergency 112 call, building on the existing practice of recording such calls as evidence.

Opposition parties accused the proposal of turning the police into a surveillance apparatus. Toskovski rejected the allegation, calling it a "crazy imagination" and stressing that the system would operate only with the victim’s consent. He said the right to life outweighs privacy concerns in emergencies and that safeguards against misuse are being built into the design. The initiative is still under development, with inter‑agency coordination and public debate expected in the next stages.