site.btaBulgarian Gendarmerie Celebrates Its 144th Anniversary

The Gendarmerie Directorate is a guarantor of the security of Bulgarian citizens, said Deputy Interior Minister Tony Todorov on Saturday at a ceremony marking the 144th anniversary of the establishment of the gendarmerie in the country, quoted by the press center of the Interior Ministry. He noted that the directorate's employees are always on the front line in the most critical areas, and thanks to them, the security of strategic sites and diplomatic missions is successfully ensured.

"Nowadays, problems arise quickly, requiring immediate decision-making and swift action, which cannot be at the expense of quality. Such a compromise is unacceptable. This means that each of us must invest more, be much better prepared and trained," said Nikolay Nikolov, Director of the General Directorate Gendarmerie, Special Operations and Counter-Terrorism.

The Gendarmerie in Bulgaria was established on July 26, 1881, by decree of Prince Alexander of Battenberg. Over the years, it has been restructured, closed, and rebuilt. With the changes in the Ministry of Interior Act of 1997, the Gendarmerie became part of the Ministry of Interior and took on its current form.