Events

MINSK, 23 November (BelTA) – The operation to neutralize a bank robber in Mogilev was brilliantly executed by the police. Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko made the relevant statement as he heard out a report from Belarusian Interior Minister Igor Shunevich on 23 November.

Alexander Lukashenko said: “I’d like to thank you and guys from Mogilev for professionalism in capturing a particularly dangerous criminal, who seized a bank office and tried to take people hostage. Particularly the guy, who wanted to neutralize the criminal by driving the car, and the guys, who cuffed him.”

It was one of the best operations staged by Belarusian police, Alexander Lukashenko believes. “I kept an eye on the events from the get-go. It is only right that the guys acted roughly,” he noted.

Alexander Lukashenko described such crimes as tantamount to acts of terrorism since innocent people are put at risk in such cases. “This is why we need no-nonsense responses to such events. SWAT units and regular police units acted nearly like that. Well done! They did a brilliant job,” noted the head of state.

The president went on saying he would like to award the law enforcement officers, who had been part of the lightning-speed operation. He instructed the interior minister to make sure that those, who had risked their lives, were rewarded.

Igor Shunevich explained that a recent experiment had helped neutralize the bank robber. “We have Almaz, the police unit dedicated to fighting terrorism. We’ve decided to set up a small police unit in every oblast and get Almaz officers to train them in order to act as first responders before the main force arrives. In this case SWAT units acted in the capacity of the counter-terrorism unit and did the job,” said the Belarusian interior minister.