Towns and PG Zilinka Agree on Need to Address Crime Situation Immediately

Bratislava, 3 November (TASR) - The state shouldn't be scrimping on its internal security, and the worsening situation in connection with a growing level of property crime in towns and villages should be addressed immediately, representatives of the Slovak Towns Union (UMS) concurred at a meeting with Prosecutor-General Maros Zilinka on Monday. Both sides announced that they'll submit comments to laws, including an amendment to the Penal Code, that are currently undergoing the inter-ministerial comments procedure. The Union also asked politicians not to politicise the issue of street safety. "The meeting was at a high professional level. We basically agreed on everything. It will definitely be necessary to modify the Penal Code, because during the year during which it's been in force it's been shown to be one that simply needs to be improved," said UMS head and Trencin mayor Richard Rybnicek. UMS has repeatedly called for repeat offences to be made a crime, as well as for the threshold for when they become a crime to be lowered. It's also called for greater powers for municipal police forces, more state police officers on the streets and the return of the so-called 'detention centres'. "It may be that a few sentences in the law could calm this situation down, and we can move on," said Rybnicek, dismissing some politicians' claims of political campaigning. Concerning this, the Union said that it's merely conveying the problems of local people. Prosecutor-General Zilinka praised the factual and constructive approach of the UMS representatives. They discussed the options for addressing the problem and their opinions on the draft Penal Code and the draft Act on Misdemeanours, which are currently undergoing the inter-ministerial comment procedure. "We agreed on the need for an immediate, simple and effective solution to the situation," wrote Zilinka on a social network. am/df