President Milanović Decorates Members of the Ministry of the Interior and Seven Police Stations on the Occasion of Police Day
The President of the Republic and Commander in Chief of the Croatian Armed Forces Zoran Milanović hosted a ceremonial reception to mark Police Day. On this occasion, the President presented decorations to members of the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Croatia, as well as to police stations and the “TRN” Karlovac Special Purpose Police Unit (Reserve Component).
“Today, as we do every year, we have gathered here to pay our respects and show our appreciation, but also to reward the best among you, whom you yourselves selected this year,” President Milanović said in his address at the reception, congratulating the female and male employees of the Ministry of the Interior on Police Day, and particularly those being decorated, “who were selected as the most outstanding and the best.”
“We regard your nominations as authentic and serious, and we do not interfere in them. Accordingly, those who are being rewarded and decorated today have received this recognition from their profession, and these are the most valuable mutual recognitions among those who know the work they do, how demanding it is, what challenges it faces, and how often it is met with a lack of understanding from the surrounding environment,” President Milanović emphasized.
To mark Police Day, the President of the Republic of Croatia and Commander in Chief of the Croatian Armed Forces Zoran Milanović, acting pursuant to his constitutional and statutory powers, issued decisions awarding decorations to 241 members of the Ministry of the Interior, seven police stations, and one special purpose police unit from the reserve component.
The President of the Republic awarded the Order of Nikola Šubić Zrinski for the heroism of their members during the Homeland War to the Karlovac Police Station with its Vojnić outpost, the Ogulin Police Station, the Orahovica Police Station, the Slavonski Brod Police Station with its Vrpolje outpost, and the Varaždin Police Station.
The Metković Police Station and the Ploče Police Station were awarded the Order of Ban Jelačić for their overall contribution to the defence of the sovereignty of the Republic of Croatia during the Homeland War.
Ivica Anđelić, a member of the Ministry of the Interior, was awarded the Order of the Croatian Cross by the President of the Republic for sustaining severe injuries during the Homeland War.
The “TRN” Karlovac Special Purpose Police Unit (Reserve Component) was awarded the Order of the Croatian Trefoil for the exceptional merits of its members during the Homeland War.
Goran Bozok, Ivica Buhin, Jakob Bukvić, Abel Car, Ivica Cvitković, Žarko Čanađija, Goran Drenovac, Alen Đuranić, Hrvoje Grgić, Branko Grubišić, Ante Jeličić, Nikola Jukić, Mladen Jurina, Željko Kirin, Nenad Koledić, Stipe Kozić, Ante Lovrić, Alen Ljuna, Dalibor Mlinac, Mario Murtić, Darko Orak, Zdravko Pandurić, Robert Posavac, Alojzije Romić, Đuro Starčević, Saša Štimac, and Tomislav Švenda were awarded the Order of the Croatian Trefoil for exceptional merits for the Republic of Croatia acquired during the war.
Željko Grgić, Mato Radman, and Dalibor Rupčić were awarded the Order of the Croatian Interlace for their exceptional contribution to the development and standing of the Republic of Croatia and the well-being of its citizens.
President Milanović also awarded the Homeland War Memorial Medal to four members of the Ministry of the Interior for their participation in the Homeland War, the Homeland Gratitude Memorial Medal to 140 members for honourable and exemplary service, and the Operation Storm Medal to 62 members of the Ministry of the Interior.
In addition to President Milanović, Davor Božinović, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior of the Republic of Croatia, addressed the members of the Ministry of the Interior. He said that the purpose of today’s gathering was to express recognition and gratitude to people “to whom we, both as a state and as a system, are grateful for everything they do for the security of the Republic of Croatia.”
“Today is Croatian Police Day, and a few days ago we welcomed 670 new, young female and male police officers into the Croatian police force. This gives us hope that this system, which achieves very good results but can also be critical of itself, has a future that is above all focused on protecting security, protecting Croatian citizens and all our guests, for which we are becoming increasingly recognized beyond the country’s borders,” Minister Božinović said, thanking the organizers of the Police Day reception because it is “an indication of respect for all these people and for the work they do.”
On behalf of the decorated female and male employees of the Ministry of the Interior, thanks were expressed by Jakob Bukvić, Head of the Bjelovar-Bilogora Police Department.
In addition to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Davor Božinović, the ceremony marking Police Day and the awarding of decorations, held at the “1st Croatian Guards Corps” barracks, was attended by the envoy of the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament, MP Ante Deur; Chief of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Tihomir Kundid; Director General of the Police Nikola Milina; Head of the Office of the National Security Council Valentino Franjić; Director of the Military Security and Intelligence Agency, Major General Ivan Turkalj; Deputy Director of the Security and Intelligence Agency Hrvoje Omrčanin; Rector of the Dr. Franjo Tuđman University of Defence and Security Prof. Dr. Ivica Lučić; state secretaries, officials and heads of the Ministry of the Interior and the Police Directorate; heads of police departments and the Police Academy; Director of the General Staff, Major General Denis Tretinjak; commanders of branches and commands of the Croatian Armed Forces; heads of departments of the General Staff; Vicar General and envoy of the Military Bishop Mons. Ilija Jakovljević; Episcopal Vicar for the Pastoral Care of the Ministry of the Interior and the Croatian Police Services, Fr. Frano Musić; former Ministers of the Interior; former Directors General of the Police; representatives of associations stemming from the Homeland War; wartime commanders of special police units attached to police departments in Croatia and wartime members of special police units; representatives of the Croatian Police Union and the Independent Union of Ministry of the Interior Employees; as well as the winners, competitors and competition coordinator of the “Shield of the Homeland – Dubrovnik 2026” competition for the fittest male and female police officers.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Fillip Glas, Ana Marija Katić