CROWN PRINCE ATTENDS POLICE DAY CEREMONY

Belgrade, 15 June 2008 – His Royal Highness Crown Prince Alexander II attended today the ceremony marking the Serbian Interior Affairs Ministry Day and the Serbian Police Day at the Makis Police Training Centre in Belgrade.

A high representative of HE Mr. Dragan Jocic, the Minister of Internal Affairs who is recovering in hospital following a car accident, laid a wreath of flowers at the Ministry building, on which is a plaque dedicated to Jakov Nenadovic, the first Minister of Internal Affairs in modern Serbia. A wreath was also laid at the Cukur Cesma monument.

The Day of the Ministry and Police is marked on 15th June, in honour of an event that took place in 1862 when the Serbian Gendarmerie played a key role in the conflict that erupted with the Turks in Belgrade’s Cukur cesma and during the next two days of the Turkish bombing of Belgrade.

The date is marked as Serbian Interior Ministry and Police Day, following the democratic changes that occurred on 5th October 2000.

Also present at the event was HE Mr. Boris Tadic, President of Serbia, as well as representatives of the Serbian Government, Police, Army, religious leaders, representatives of the diplomatic corps, and many citizens.

The most interesting part of the ceremony was the demonstration of police training, counter-terrorism, martial arts skills and modern police equipment and vehicles.