Europol is constantly in touch with its operational partners through their liaison officers based at the headquarters. This is how Europol is connected to nearly two million law enforcement officers in the EU and beyond.
Meet Blaž, Croatia’s liaison officer at Europol. Croatia joined the EU in July 2013 but their liaison bureau at Europol was established in early 2008. Blaž has been working from Europol headquarters for nearly two and a half years now. Before him, only one other officer had occupied this function. Blaž’s daily routine involves the coordination of information and intelligence related to criminal investigations that have links to Croatia.
His work consists of dealing with SIENA messages and responding through the secure line, but also quickly responding to requests from other liaison officers working in the same building at Europol’s HQ. “Since 2010, the exchange of information has tripled.
This is the due to the increased operational cooperation, but is also a result of Croatia’s entry into the EU”, affirms Blaž. “I really appreciate not only Europol as an organisation, but also all the colleagues working here. The close personal approach which we have at Europol helps us deal with complicated criminal cases quicker and more efficiently.”
Europol celebrates its 15th anniversary as the European law enforcement agency