Solak Presents Changes in Police to Take Effect as of September

Bratislava, August 30 (TASR) - Police Corps president Lubomir Solak at a news conference on Friday presented changes in the police that will come into force as of Sunday (September 1). On September 1, the National Crime Agency (NAKA) will cease to exist and three new units will be created - the Office to Combat Organised Crime, the National Anti-Drug Unit and the Anti-Terrorism Centre. According to the Police Corps president, specialised units of the Police Corps should no longer deal with common crimes or misdemeanours, and the whole process should be made more efficient. Solak said that when reorganising the Police Corps, inspiration was taken from abroad, especially the Czech Republic. "The National Organised Crime Centre in the Czech Republic dealt with 285 cases in 2020, 282 cases in 2021 and 267 cases in 2022. NAKA dealt with 2,434 cases in 2023 alone. That number is quite high, and tends to indicate that NAKA may have turned into a peripheral police department," said Solak when explaining the need for reorganisation. Slovakia also communicated with representatives of the European Union when preparing the police reform. The sections that dealt with crime under the jurisdiction of the European Public Prosecutor's Office will not change. The Interior Ministry has told TASR that changes won't affect the environmental police, either. The Police Corps will reallocate some 100 police officers as part of the changes. Solak claimed that the locations in which police officers have worked until now were taken into account when deciding on these movements. "So, if he is a Bratislava resident, he'll remain serving in Bratislava. It won't be at the presidium, it will be for the district or region," he explained. ko/df