site.btaBorder Police Receive 213 New Vehicles and 88 Cameras

The General Directorate Border Police (GDBP) has received 125 standard passenger vehicles, 70 off-road vehicles, seven passenger cars, seven minibuses, four buses and 88 cameras. The new equipment was provided under projects with a total value of EUR 10.5 million, Border Police said on Tuesday. 

"We are carrying out our responsibilities for protecting this country's borders and the external borders of the European Union with exceptional success," Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev said at the ceremony for handing over the vehicle keys.  

"When I took office as caretaker interior minister in 2022, we realized that unless we significantly improved the technical equipment available at Bulgaria's borders, particularly along the Bulgarian-Turkish border, we would not be able to guarantee the security of either Bulgaria or the European countries," Demerdzhiev said. "We made considerable efforts in our discussions with our EU partners. I am pleased that our appeal was heard and that today we are already seeing some of the results of that understanding and solidarity. They recognized our readiness to reliably protect the Union’s external border," he added. 

"With today's delivery, the number of vehicles acquired over the past three years has exceeded 700, and only now are we reaching the level required to meet our staffing needs," said Border Police Director Chief Commissioner Anton Zlatanov. 

"We must not discontinue this process so that the same gap that existed in the past does not reappear. We must continue applying pressure on our European partners. We need to improve not only the quantity of our equipment but also the quality of our work. This positive trend in strengthening our image must not slow down, stagnate or decline," Chief Commissioner Zlatanov said. 

"We can now feel confident as leaders that we have provided our officers with everything they need to perform their duties," he added.