NO ORGANISED CRIME IN CROATIA AT PRESENT - SAYS INTERIOR MINISTER

OPATIJA, Dec 9 (Hina) - Croatian Interior Minister Ivan Penic on Wednesday said there was at present no organised or hierarchically structured criminal groups in Croatia, even though criminals did associate on a very frequent basis. Penic said it was also evident that certain criminals in Croatia were connected with international criminal groups. The Interior Minister was addressing the 11th conference of the Croatian Association for Criminal Science and Practice, which is being held in the northern Adriatic seaside resort of Opatija under the headline "The Criminal-Judicial System In Front of the Organised Crime Challenge." Penic stressed fighting organised crime must be absolutely uncompromising, but always implemented through legitimate means. He also pointed to the necessity of having an efficient, systematic, and organised performance of all state bodies of authority in doing so. The police must consistently strive towards breaking into criminal associations, effective retrieval of illegally acquired property, preventing money laundering, preventing all types of corruption, and in particular towards tight cooperation with the widest strata of society. The Opatija conference gathered some 500 scientists and experts. It will discuss international assistance and cooperation, and new methods of discovery and investigation in organised crime. (hina) ha jn