Today, at the headquarters of the General Inspectorate of Border Police festivities took place on the occasion of celebrating 157 years of institutional existence in the presence of Mr. Lucian Nicolae Bode, Minister of Internal Affairs, Chief Quaestor of Police Liviu Bute, Assignee Inspector General of the Romanian Border Police, the Chiefs of Arms of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, representatives of institutions collaborates with the Border Police and the staff of the General Inspectorate of the Border Police.
The Romanian Border Police Day (July 24) is always an opportunity to be rewarded for the actions carried out by their own workers, in fulfilling the specific missions at the Romanian border.
On this occasion, police principal Quaestor Liviu Bute congratulated the border policemen for the support provided and the efforts made by them from a professional point of view, in this special period, demonstrating the capacity to mobilize and adapt, to be able to act effectively on all levels and to contribute to the collective effort.
In the message addressed to the border guards, at this special moment, the general inspector of RBP specified:
“In 2021, the Romanian Border Police celebrates 157 years of institutional existence. We know the history, we live the present, and the future, even if it belongs to the next generations, also depends on us, on the way we understand to build, to evolve and to be true mentors for the colleagues at the beginning of their career…
… Practice has repeatedly shown us that the term "cooperation" is not a cliché, but a reality without which there can be no professional performance. Moreover, the COVID 19 pandemic was equally a challenge and a lesson for all of us. It tested our limits, adaptability, empathy and strength of character ...
… I wish you, dear colleagues, good health, hard work and wisdom. Remain dignified, fair and always in competition with yourself ”.
This festive moment was an opportunity to promote 180 border guards, officers and agents working in the Border Police structures, specialists in land, sea, airport border surveillance, who were highlighted and rewarded by advancement in professional rank before the completion of the minimum stage, for special merits in the operational missions carried out, both on the territory of the country and following the participation in the joint operations organized by the Frontex Agency.
Most of the advanced border guards come from the operational territorial structures of the border police, and stood out in the surveillance and control actions carried out at the state border, but especially in the missions to combat cross-border crime and illegal migration, having a important contribution to the operational results obtained by the structures of which they are part.
At the same time, the General Inspector of the Romanian Border Police awarded the distinction "Border Policeman of the Year 2021" for two border guards, as follows:
- Chief Commissioner of Police Bacaim Petrică - Coast Guard, Service for Preventing and Combating Illegal Migration and Cross-Border Crime - as head of service. The officer is an experienced judicial police worker who carries out qualified information and operational activities for the identification, supervision and documentation of criminal activities in the area of competence. He coordinated the team that discovered and investigated criminal cases on the import of waste in violation of legal provisions in the field, cigarette smuggling, but also other crimes in the field of cross-border organized crime.
Thus, he coordinated the specific activities in one of the largest criminal cases regarding the illegal trafficking of waste, in which 85 containers were discovered loaded with approximately 1,860 tons of waste that were to enter the country.
Also, the officer coordinated the operative teams in cases of cigarette smuggling, among them we mention the one in which over 240,000 packs of cigarettes were confiscated, with Moldavian stamps, worth approximately 3,860,000 lei, on the area of counterfeit products but also of other crimes in the field of cross-border organized crime.
- Chief Police Officer Bălașa Cătălin from the General Inspectorate of Border Police - Directorate for Preventing and Combating Illegal Migration and Cross-Border Crime.
Through determination in the exercise of his duties, the police officer made a significant contribution to the dismantling of criminal groups specializing in the illegal manufacture of cigarettes, which operated internationally in several European countries. The entire criminal activity was documented through international cooperation with representatives of the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and the Spanish Civil Guard. The illicit activities could have caused damage to the consolidated budget of the European Union of over 100 million euros. The merits of the policeman were also recognized by the Central Operational Unit of the Spanish Civil Guard, by awarding the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Civil Guard.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
On July 24, 1864, ruler Alexandru Ioan Cuza signed the Decree uniting the border corps "inside and beyond Milcov", a moment that became a historical landmark for our institution, meaning the recognition of the institutional identity and, at the same time, the cornerstone of the Border Police today.
By the Emergency Ordinance of the Government of Romania no. 104/2001 on the organization and functioning of the Romanian Border Police, this historical date was designated an official holiday of the Romanian Border Police, being the moment of recognition of the institutional identity and also the foundation of today's modern organization, which operates at European standards.
In the 157 years of existence - and not only, because the defense of the country's borders has existed since ancient times - the Romanian Border Police has gone through several stages of transformation and improvement, depending on the nature of the historical period lived, but regardless of the form of organization or name, the mission has always remained the same, that of guarding legality, order and peace at the border.
Currently, as a specialized institution of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Romanian Border Police has the obligation to prevent and combat situations of danger to Romania, caused by illegal migration and cross-border crime, and also to protect the life, bodily integrity and freedom of persons, public and private property, other rights and legitimate interests of citizens and the community, its activity being the public service carried out in the interest of the person, the community and in support of state institutions, exclusively on the basis and by law enforcement.
Through the obtained results, the institution of the Romanian Border Police continues to assert itself as a reliable partner of European states in the fight against cross-border crime, enjoying the respect and appreciation of similar structures in other countries, and the professionalism of border guards and openness to collaboration. permanently in the relations with the other structures, they had an essential contribution to obtaining these performances and creating a positive image of the institution abroad.
