Macedonia's interior minister pushes tech upgrades to curb family violence

Interior Minister Panche Toskovski said the ministry is evaluating a system that would let emergency‑call centre (112) operators automatically capture audio and video from a victim’s phone, with the victim’s consent, to be used as evidence. The idea mirrors Spain’s “Alert Cops” app, which already has millions of users, but Macedonian authorities have not yet set a deployment schedule and stress the need for clear legal safeguards.

Toskovski also warned that reports of domestic violence are rising. He outlined ongoing cooperation between the police, the Ministry of Education and schools to increase safety, including preventive patrols and inspections. He highlighted recent police modernization efforts such as body‑cameras, two‑way communication with command centres, mobile units and real‑time analytics, and said the ministry is checking private security firms that operate in schools.

Officials from the Operational‑Technical Agency (OTA) emphasized that any such technology must respect constitutional guarantees on privacy, communication secrecy and data protection, and that a thorough, integrated analysis is still underway.