Controversy over new Belgrade security service led by mayor Sapic

Sapic claims the initiative will ease pressure on police and increase school safety. The project includes night patrols, daytime presence near schools, over 100 new security stations, and 5,000 surveillance cameras in educational institutions, equipped with software to detect weapons.

However, legal experts argue that Belgrade lacks the authority to create its own security force parallel to the police. According to Serbia’s Police and Private Security Acts, local governments may hire licensed private firms to guard property but not to perform police duties such as patrolling public areas or identifying citizens.

Maja Bjelos from the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy warns that such a service would blur the line between public policing and private security, which could lead to misuse for political control or intimidation. Sapic’s assertion that the new service would act as a “police extension” is legally ungrounded, she says.

Additionally, the deployment of biometric surveillance in schools raises privacy concerns. Authorities have not disclosed the software provider or its cost. Serbia currently has no legal basis for biometric recognition, after related legislation was withdrawn following pressure from civil rights groups.

Questions have also been raised about whether the Ministry of Education approved the project. Repeated requests for clarification from the Ministry, the Interior Ministry, and the Ombudsman have gone unanswered.

Privacy commissioners stress that video surveillance must comply with strict legal safeguards, including data protection and public notification—requirements not yet met by this initiative.