Outgoing Interior Minister Kalin Stoyanov met with Sofia Mayor Vasil Terziev and representatives of restaurant branch organizations here on Monday to discuss security in the capital. The meeting came after two incidents involving migrants in Sofia over the past week.
Stoyanov reported that actions have been taken to ensure the security and peace of mind of the public. He added: "We are focusing police presence in the central part of the city and other areas, where people with different backgrounds gather."
The Minister also said that police presence will be increased around the accommodation centres run by the State Agency for Refugees, which are guarded by a private company.
Stoyanov spoke about the legislative change to the Interior Ministry Act and the Administration Act, initiated by GERB-UDF and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, which should enable the recruitment of the necessary 1,264 officers for the Border Police General Directorate, as well as some 260 police officers to take over the security of the five accommodation centres. He added that the Interior Ministry found many lapses in the centres in recent months and has issued recommendations.
Stoyanov said that there has been no increase in the number of incidents with migrants in Bulgaria over the last year.
Terziev said that the Sofia Municipality and the Ministry of Interior will synchronize their actions. He added: "It is not just a question of migrants. For a long time, there have been large gatherings of groups, Bulgarian youths and foreign tourists, disturbing the peace of others, disrupting public order." To resolve this problem, patrols in the capital will check these large gatherings.
"Our goal is to make people feel that there is order in this city," the Mayor said.
Regarding video surveillance in the capital, Terziev reported that there are about 3,800 cameras in Sofia that are integrated into the Interior Ministry's system. Their number will increase, he added.
/KK/
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