Questions are being asked in Montenegro of the police response to a deadly mass shooting and whether more lives could have been saved.
Crime Scene in Cetinje, Montenegro. Photo: Jelena Jovanovic
The police response to the worst ever mass shooting in Montenegro faced fierce scrutiny on Tuesday amid criticism about its speed and effectiveness.
Eleven people, including two children, died on Friday when a man identified as 34-year-old Vuk Borilovic opened fire on relatives and neighbours in the old royal capital, Cetinje. Borilovic was among the eleven killed.
In the days that followed, authorities have defended the police handling of the attack, amid criticism from some residents of Cetinje that the response was chaotic and slow. The anti-terrorism unit was not deployed and, according to media reports, officers hesitated in confronting the gunman despite knowing that there were injured children inside his home.
While stressing that no one would be spared responsibility, Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic said on Monday that, “I partially want to protect police officers.”
“It is very unfair that the police, who are trying to reform themselves, are condemned for everything and anything,” Abazovic said.
Lack of training
Noting that a police officer was among the wounded, Interior Minister Filip Adzic announced that a commission would be formed to investigate the police response, but he defended the force.
“Police capacities are extremely low,” he said. “We do not have police officers in every city who are able to respond to the most challenging actions.”
Security expert Miodrag Lakovic, a former senior police officer, said that officers are “rarely or almost never” trained in shooting, crisis and tactical situations.
Describing the police as “bureaucratised,” Lakovic said that insufficient attention is paid to “operational capacities.”
Hitting back at some of the media coverage, the police have accused some outlets of “spreading misinformation” and urged the press, local activists and politicians to refrain from speculation.
Media representatives have said that whatever mistakes were made in the coverage were due to a lack of relevant and reliable information, as well as contradictory information from the police themselves.
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