A specialised sector in the Prosecutor’s Office to monitor cases of police violence

“A specialised sector in the Prosecutor’s Office will monitor the cases of police violence,” Deputy Prosecutor General Galina Toneva said during a discussion on the issue, organised by the Interior Ministry. The meeting initiated by Deputy Interior Minister Vesselin Vuchkov was attended by representatives of the Prosecutor’s Office, the courts, human rights organisations and lawyers. “In 2010, there were 74 pre-trial legal procedures for police violence,” said Galina Toneva. According to data of the State prosecution, 34 of these were terminated, 17 police officers were convicted and one was acquitted. A total of 283 policemen were investigated throughout the year.

“Yes, there have been cases of police violence, generated by various factors – probably imperfect legislation, inadequate operation of internal departmental mechanisms and inadequate administrative law practice,” admitted Vesselin Vuchkov. According to the Interior Ministry, in the first four months of 2011, the Ministry’s Inspectorate checked 35 signals of police violence: two of these for the use of weapons, five - for the use of auxiliary means, 12 – for the use of force, and 16 – connected with detention. Only three of all these signals were upheld. Four policemen have been punished and one - fired. The Deputy President of the Supreme Court of Cassation Grozdan Iliev explained that police cases were extremely difficult to detect. According to the court, between 2008 and 2010, sentences were passed against police officers in 14 cases of violence. However, in most of the cases, the aggression was not manifested during execution of their official duties but in everyday quarrels.

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