North Macedonia expands ‘Safe City’ surveillance amid major crime crackdown

Aleksandar Janev, Director of the Bureau for Public Security, announced the expansion of the ‘Safe City’ surveillance system to Prilep and Bitola. The project, currently in the documentation phase, will include over 40 monitoring points to enhance traffic safety, assist police in crime prevention, and protect urban infrastructure.

This announcement follows a major police operation targeting an organized criminal group involved in drug trafficking and economic crime. The investigation, which spanned Prilep, Skopje, and Struga, involved searches at 36 locations, including a bank vault where over 50,000 euros were seized. Notably, four of the searches were conducted at the residences of police officers employed in the Prilep Department for Internal Affairs.

A criminal complaint has been filed against 21 individuals, and the Skopje court has issued security measures for all those involved. Janev emphasized that the operation was the result of a long-term, complex investigation aimed at dismantling criminal structures, regardless of personal connections.