Former Police Official Criticizes Handling of Senjak Murder, Cites Decline in Investigative Effectiveness

Milenko Zarić, a former head of the secret surveillance and monitoring department and a lawyer, has asserted that the Serbian police force of ten years ago would have resolved the recent murder at a Senjak restaurant on the very night it happened. Zarić suggests that certain parties had an interest in downplaying the incident, transforming it into a "case of a simple disappearance" rather than a homicide, implying a deliberate cover-up involving numerous individuals.

"Perhaps something more sensational, if anything is still sensational in our society, is the behavior after this serious murder occurred. The behavior, the attitude towards the murdered person, the concealment, how many people participated in the concealment, officially," Zarić stated in an interview with N1.

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Perhaps something more sensational, if anything is still sensational in our society, is the behavior after this serious murder occurred. The behavior, the attitude towards the murdered person, the concealment, how many people participated in the concealment, officially.

Zarić contends that the Criminal Police Directorate (UKP) operates significantly differently compared to its methods before 2013, when he was part of it. He attributes this decline primarily to "perhaps unjustified and rapid dismissals, rapid changes, completely unnecessary." While acknowledging that new administrations often bring in their own people, Zarić believes the speed of these changes caused a "break in the work of the criminal police," leading to a loss of continuity.

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The police worked in secret, in conspiracy, very seriously and, I think, or rather I am sure, that they were not under pressure to do or not do something.

He explained that in the past, police work was conducted in secrecy and with great seriousness. Crucially, Zarić emphasized that the police "were not under pressure to do or not do something." He recalled that between 2004 and 2013, there were few, if any, "professional murders" that the police failed to solve or prevent. "The police worked in secret, in conspiracy, very seriously and, I think, or rather I am sure, that they were not under pressure to do or not do something," he said, highlighting excellent cooperation with the Special Prosecutor's Office during that period.

Zarić observes a significant lack of professionalism and dedication today, citing the rarity of long-term surveillance and investigation of individuals or groups. "When we used to apprehend them, we didn't need their testimony, absolutely. We already had all the evidence and we arrested them with evidence," he stated. He believes the current police force lacks the necessary knowledge, leading to "all sorts of excesses." Zarić concluded that while police cannot eradicate crime, their task is to control it by understanding "who communicates with whom, who does what," thereby preventing many criminal activities. He is convinced that such a police force, actively monitoring persons and groups of interest, would not require a report for a case like the "Senjak" incident; they would already be present, prepared, and aware.

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When we used to apprehend them, we didn't need their testimony, absolutely. We already had all the evidence and we arrested them with evidence.