- by croatiaweek
- November 6, 2025
-
in
News
(Photo: MUP)
Croatia has recorded a significant 52% drop in illegal border crossings this year, Interior Minister Davor Božinović confirmed during an official visit recently from Bavaria’s Minister of the Interior, Sport and Integration, Joachim Herrmann.
The two ministers visited the Cetingrad Border Police Station and later observed a tactical and technical police display at Buhača, highlighting Croatia’s growing investment in border protection technology and international cooperation.
On Croatia’s border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, police now monitor every stretch of terrain using a combination of advanced surveillance systems and aerial technology.
The “nerve centre” of these operations is a specially equipped vehicle that controls aerial monitoring.
“In the event of illegal activity, we receive coordinates from the pilot, which are passed on to field commanders who then deploy units directly to the border,” Davor Pazman, from the Intervention Command, told HRT.
(Photo: MUP)
When drones and unmanned aerial vehicles work together, illegal crossings become nearly impossible, officers say.
“At night, if we suspect movement, we can have a drone in the air within five minutes,” said border protection officer Nikola Radočaj.
Fixed-wing drones are capable of scanning several hundred square kilometres and remaining airborne for up to 12 hours.
“What would take hundreds of officers using handheld thermal cameras an entire day to inspect can now be covered in a few hours,” noted Marko Đulić of the Mobile Border Surveillance Unit.
Once illegal migrants are detected, police ground units respond swiftly – often with trained police dogs who help ensure rapid and safe apprehension.
(Photo: MUP)
“The reaction from the other side is usually fear – the sight and sound of a police dog is enough to make anyone think twice,” canine handler Marin Božičević from the Border Protection Unit explained to HRT.
Despite the technological edge, smugglers are becoming increasingly resourceful, even using their own drones to scout border patrols.
“We have anti-drone rifles to jam and neutralise unwanted drones entering our airspace,” added Pazman.
Minister Božinović emphasised that the sharp drop in illegal crossings would not have been possible without modern technology, skilled personnel, and tight coordination.
“This 52% decrease is a direct result of how well organised we are and how thoroughly we cover every part of the border,” Božinović said.
(Photo: MUP)
Minister Herrmann, visiting from Bavaria, praised Croatia’s methods and technological investment.
“Today I saw first-hand the equipment used by Croatian police, their monitoring concept, and their approach to combating illegal migration and cross-border crime, including drug and weapons trafficking. I am impressed by their professionalism and organisation,” Herrmann said.
Along the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, around 40 thermal imaging towers have been installed, providing deep surveillance into neighbouring territory. Where fixed cameras cannot reach, mobile units fill the gaps – all to ensure that not a single centimetre of Croatia’s, and indeed the EU’s, longest external land border goes unmonitored.
