Today, Minister of Internal Affairs Panche Toshkovski attended and addressed the ceremonial promotion of the new generation of police officers 2025–2026 at the Police Adademy in Idrizovo, marking the entry of 496 new police officers into the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
In his address, Minister Toshkovski stressed that the police profession is not merely a job, but a life choice and a vocation that requires courage, integrity, professionalism and humanity.
“With today’s ceremonial oath, you are not merely receiving a job; you are accepting a great responsibility and taking on the honour of wearing a uniform that citizens recognise as a symbol of order, law and security,” Minister Toshkovski said.
He stressed that, over the past period, the Ministry has been implementing comprehensive modernisation and strengthening of police capacities through investments in new police stations, modern equipment, the vehicle fleet, digitalisation of services and the implementation of modern security systems, with one clear objective – to ensure that citizens live more safely and that the state is stronger.
“Today, the Republic of Macedonia has the lowest crime rate in the past twenty years, which is the result of the dedicated work of every police officer, but also of the reforms, modernisation and professionalisation that we are continuously implementing,” Toshkovski stressed.
The Minister pointed out that the new generation demonstrated exceptional discipline, professional potential and outstanding results during their training. The generation consists of two teams for the Special Police Units, two teams for Border Police and ten teams for general policing and traffic enforcement, all of whom achieved excellent results in academic subjects, practical exercises and professional disciplines.
In his address, Toshkovski stressed that the Training Centre in Idrizovo is now a modern, internationally accredited educational institution which, as of this year, has been transformed into a Police Academy. He also highlighted that the “7 May” Secondary Police School will resume its activities in September, representing an important step towards creating new generations of professional police officers.
Assistant Minister and Head of the Police Academy Vlatko Mitkovski also addressed those present, stressing that the 2025–2026 generation is the first to successfully complete the new specialised basic training programme, organised into three specialised modules – general policing and traffic, border affairs, and special police operations. He emphasised that, in addition to acquiring professional knowledge and skills, this generation will also be remembered for its humanity, demonstrated through numerous voluntary humanitarian activities and blood donation campaigns carried out during the training.
“When you first entered the Academy, you came with different life stories, experiences and expectations. Today, you stand before us as a generation that has successfully completed its training, mastered professional standards and demonstrated the capacity to carry the responsibility required by the police profession. But the most important lesson you were expected to learn was not how to apply a particular police technique or procedure. The most important lesson was that a police officer must always be a person of integrity. The police uniform is not merely an official insignia – it represents trust, and trust must be earned every day through professional, lawful and dignified conduct,” Mitkovski stressed.
Mitkovski informed that 496 candidates for police officers successfully completed the basic training, including 364 for general policing and traffic, 78 for Border Police and 54 for the Special Police Units. As of today, they are officially prepared to join the ranks of the Macedonian Police.
At the ceremony, the new police officers took their ceremonial oath, officially becoming members of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and undertaking the responsibility to serve the citizens and the Republic of Macedonia honestly, lawfully and professionally.
Plaques were also presented to the best teams of the 2025–2026 generation. Jovan Tasevski was declared the best candidate of the generation and was presented with a ceremonial plaque by Minister Toshkovski, as well as a special gift from the Macedonian Police Union.
Following the awards ceremony, all candidates for police officers from the 2025–2026 generation made a ceremonial declaration before those present.
