site.btaBulgarian Police Celebrate Professional Holiday

The police in Bulgaria celebrate their professional holiday on November 8. Traditionally, it is marked on the feast day of the Synaxis of St Michael the Archangel and the Other Bodiless.

Bulgarian Police Day has been marked annually since 1999, following Decision 38 of the Council of Ministers of January 29, 1999. The holiday was first celebrated on November 21, 1924 (the feast day of the Synaxis of St Michael the Archangel according to the old calendar). From 1943 to 1993, the holiday was not marked. The celebration was restored in 1994 at the suggestion of the National Police Union.

On Friday, a solemn ceremony was held outside the building of the National Police General Directorate in Sofia to mark the professional holiday of the Bulgarian Police.

On Saturday, regional directorates of the interior across Bulgaria honoured the memory of police officers who have died in the line of duty.  

Politicians congratulated police officers on their professional holiday.

MRF - New Beginning leader Delyan Peevski said, as quoted by his the party's press centre: "I congratulate all Bulgarian police officers for the dedication with which they perform their duty to the State and society, for whom the security of the people is not just a job but a mission." In his words, celebrating on November 8 are the law enforcement officers "whom everyone trusts with the security, peace, and order of every city, village, and home; those who are called upon to guard the borders of Bulgaria and Europe." In order for Bulgarian police officers to have the security to perform their duties with professionalism and dedication, it is the responsibility of politicians to ensure the development and modernization of structures, working conditions, and the security of law enforcement officers and their families - something they must always be able to count on, Peevski noted.