for Crime Prevention", financed by the European Union with EUR 200,000 as part of the IPA 2008 programme, was inaugurated at the Police Directorate on Tuesday.
The eight-month project, launched in June, is being implemented in cooperation with the police of the German province Baden Wuerttemberg.
Interior Minister Ranko Ostojic underlined the importance of improving police work through crime prevention and achieving European standards in police work, adding that the development of a modern crime prevention system was a priority.
The basic guidelines are strengthening international cooperation, cooperation with local communities and civil society organisations, he added.
Croatian project manager Mato Blazanovic said Croatia began developing a crime prevention system on the regional and national levels in 2003.
The head of the project implementation department of the EU Delegation to Croatia, Mario Barile, underlined the importance of fighting international organised crime, corruption, trafficking in drugs and humans, terrorism and other threats. He said this called for stronger capacities, good legislation, cooperation with non-governmental organisations, prevention programmes, and stronger technical assistance.
German Ambassador Hans Peter Annen said the project showed that the cooperation between the police forces of Baden Wuerttemberg and Croatia was long-standing and successful.
Croatia is an exceptional, trained and efficient partner. We all have the same problems and we can fight them more successfully together, he added.
The chief of the Baden Wuerttemberg police, Gerhard Klotter, also commended the cooperation, voicing confidence the two police forces would continue to cooperate well in crime prevention.