Ministry denies withdrawing police from schools

Police officers have been deployed in front of schools in Serbia for years with the MUP ordering heightened security in schools following the mass shooting at a Belgrade elementary school in May 2023.

N1 was contacted by parents from several Belgrade schools who said that the police security details had been withdrawn with no previous warning.

The MUP replied to an N1 request for a comment denying the claims. “Police officers from the Belgrade City Police Department are actively promoting the security of students and staff at schools which includes a permanent presence and activities by police officers including the criminal police department and traffic police before, during and after classes in the school zone,” the MUP statement said.