Interior Minister Davor Božinović said in parliament on Thursday that police work was commendable and results were improving every year, presenting data to confirm this.

Last year was the third consecutive year that the crime clearance rate was above 70%, and since 2020 the Croatian police has never had such a rate, Božinović said presenting a report on police work in 2022 to parliament.

The year 2022 saw two and a half times fewer robberies and serious thefts, and there were also fewer burglaries and brazen thefts. Twenty-seven murders were committed, three fewer than in 2021, and all of them were solved by the police.

In addition, in 2022, the police discovered 7% more economic crimes, 31% more corruption crimes, and 19% more cybercrimes. There was also a rise in the detection of organized crime, of as much as 80%.

The trend continues this year with 37% more criminal reports for organized crime in the first ten months, said Božinović.

The number of war crimes reports also increased, to 112, twice as many as in the past two years.

Significant quantities of drugs were seized last year. The largest laboratory for the production of chemical drugs in the history of Croatia was discovered, and 9 people were arrested, the minister said.

The excellent work of the police related to drug crimes continues this year as well, and in ten months 13.7% more criminal offences were detected compared to the first ten months in 2022, with a significant increase in seizures, he said.

Speaking of road traffic, Božinović said that 1,108 more traffic accidents had been recorded, but with fewer fatalities.

The interior minister also spoke about illegal migration, after he was asked by Stephen Nikola Bartulica (Homeland Movement) if he agreed that Europe could not be a place to solve all of the world’s problems.

“I agree that Europe cannot solve all of the world’s problems, and I am convinced that it will not regardless of worrying trends. Croatia is aware of the problems in other countries and it is clear to us what needs to be avoided, otherwise Croatia would not be one of the the safest countries in the world,” Božinović said.

Responding to questions from MPs, he dismissed accusations of any cover-up in the police, stressing that the police do their work conscientiously in accordance with the laws.