site.btaMigrant Pressure on Bulgaria’s Border Is Rising, Border Police Chief Warns

“The migrant pressure is unprecedented. The aggression of those wishing to cross Bulgaria’s border illegally is growing, they throw stones at our booths and facilities, they do not pull over when chased,” said Border Police director, Chief Commissioner Rositsa Dimitrova, on the air of Nova TV.

According to data from the European border and coast guard agency FRONTEX, from the beginning of this year until September, 100% of illegal migrants were apprehended in all EU countries - from Italy, Bulgaria and Greece to the northernmost countries, she explained. “We are facing something that Europe has never witnessed before,” Dimitrova said.  

She pointed out that the attempts prevented at the Bulgarian-Turkish border in one week in September equal the attempts prevented in the whole of 2020. Prevented attempts across the Bulgarian-Turkish border in the last week alone were more than in the whole of 2019. 

"The equipment was a serious problem, in the last three months we have provided funds for spare parts, we have seconded repairmen from the regional directorates to fix the cars that have been working 24/7 since 2019; with the help of colleagues from the ministries of defence and agriculture we are fixing both the facility and the roads in the area. We have also borrowed cars and enlisted people from the Ministry of Agriculture’s forestry farms to help us patrol," the Border Police chief explained.

About the case of the murder of a Bulgarian serviceman at the Bulgarian-Turkish border, she commented that what happened was unexpected as migrants usually hide from border guards because they know that if they are spotted they will not be able to cross.

The pre-trial proceedings are now being conducted by an investigator under the supervision of a prosecutor from Bulgaria. We have the assurance of the Turkish side, which already on the night of the incident stated its strong support, that it will do everything necessary to apprehend the perpetrators, to prove this misdeed so that they get the sentences they deserve," said Chief Commissioner Dimitrova.