Timber thieves plaguing Serbia: These parts of our country are now under "the watchful eye"

Photo: MUP RS

The Interior Ministry's unit for combating environmental crime was established at the end of March, and as one of its inspectors says that analyses have shown that timber theft is most prevalent in the east and south of the country.

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Lieutenant Filip Nahajovski told RTS on Tuesday morning that those parts of Serbia are under the "watchful eye" of the police and inspectors, but that the rest of the country is - as well.

"Belgrade, the outskirts of the city were a black spot, but that has changed," Nahajovski said.

The majority owner of forests in Serbia is the state with about 53 percent, while the rest is in private hands, and the inspector says that there is a lot of timber theft occuring in privately owned woods.

"I appeal to all victims who have suffered damage from timber thieves to report the case to the competent police department so that the inspectors can catch and process the suspects as soon as possible," Nahajovski said.

According to the law, the penalties for illegal logging, depending on the degree of damage, range from fines to imprisonment.

(Telegraf.rs)