Police: We're Working Intensively to Solve Cash Machine Blasts

Bratislava, 31 March (TASR) - The police are intensively investigating ATM blasts across Slovakia, with several solved cases serving as evidence of this effort, the Police Corps Presidium's communications department stated on Tuesday in response to claims by the opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party that the police are failing to address the so-called 'ATM mafia'. The police also rejected claims of inactivity, describing them as false, misleading and damaging public trust in the police force. "From the very first moment when the offences are registered, we've been carrying out intensive investigative and operational activities aimed at identifying the perpetrators and preventing further crime, as also evidenced by several solved cases, while others are still the subject of intensive investigation," stated the police. Investigations also involve specialised units, while a dedicated investigative team has been set up as well. Furthermore, ATM raids are not unique to Slovakia and represent a highly sophisticated form of crime taking place across borders. The police assured the public that these cases are being investigated intensively, but it's currently not possible to disclose the specific steps and information. "This standard procedure cannot be publicly interpreted as inactivity. On the contrary, the police force has adopted several necessary measures aimed at increasing the detection rate for this type of crime," stated the police, adding that effectively combating such crimes also requires preventive measures on the part of banks, which have helped to reduce the number of attacks on ATMs in some regions. Earlier on Tuesday, SaS MP Juraj Krupa said that he believes the Police Corps is failing to address the so-called 'ATM mafia', adding that the situation can be directly attributed to the current situation in the police force. He'll demand that Police Corps president Jana Maskarova and Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice-SD) should appear before the House defence and security committee to report on the real situation within the police force and how they intend to tackle organised crime and corruption. jrg/df