Crime in Slovakia
Encyclopedia
Slovakia is a Central European country with a history of relatively low crime. While crime became more widespread after the fall of communism in 1989, it remains low when compared to many other post-communist countries.
According to the United States Department of Defense
, Slovakia
has a medium rate of crime. Apart from the occasional mafia shooting, gun violence
is rare in the country. There are approximately 3.000 – 4.000 home burglaries and 7.000 – 8.000 car thefts in Slovakia each year. Together, there are around 15.000 cases of violent criminal acts (damage to victim's life or health) in Slovakia each year. The police force is one of the least trusted institutions in Slovakia.
, 3.400 in Poland
, 4.100 in the Czech Republic
and 6.100 in Austria
. It has to be noted that the comparatively higher number of crimes in Austria is in a large part because Austrian citizens have a much higher law awareness and tend to cooperate with the police more than for example Slovaks.
From 1989 to 1999, the number of crime perpetrators has slightly risen from over 35.000 in 1989 to almost 45.000 in 1999. The number of perpetrators not convicted remains stable at some 80 percent of total perpetrators. Also somewhat stable is the number of habitual offenders at approximately 10.000.
The 2000s saw again a slight rise in the number of perpetrators and a steep rise in economic crime.
Until the mid-1990s the drug situation in Slovakia remained somewhat stable; extensive small-scale illicit amphetamine production, no opium poppy
cultivation, only minimal cannabis
cultivation in private greenhouses and the country was already a key transit point for smuggling Asian heroin to Western Europe both via Ukraine
and lying on the "Balkan route" from Turkey. Seizures of cocaine
up to this point have been minimal and at this time Slovakia emerged as another crossroads for cocaine traffickers seeking new routes to Western Europe (Colombian traffickers
have been smuggling cocaine through the neighboring Czech Republic
since 1991). Because the banking sector in Slovakia was still in nascent stages at this time, drug money laundering
operations were limited.
In November 1995, an independent national drug service was created in Slovakia and the government established a new comprehensive anti-drug plan to target drug trafficking and use and made drug-related changes to the criminal code. The biggest seizures made by the Slovak police
in 1995 were a 123.5 kilogram heroin seizure, and a 25 kilogram cocaine seizure. Implementation of chemical control regulations and legislation continues to create concern about the vulnerability of the country's well-developed chemical and pharmaceutical industry being partially used for the production of illegal drugs or precursor chemicals.
According to the United States Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
has a medium rate of crime. Apart from the occasional mafia shooting, gun violence
Gun violence
Gun violence defined literally means the use of a firearm to threaten or inflict violence or harm. Gun violence may be broadly defined as a category of violence and crime committed with the use of a firearm; it may or may not include actions ruled as self-defense, actions for law enforcement, or...
is rare in the country. There are approximately 3.000 – 4.000 home burglaries and 7.000 – 8.000 car thefts in Slovakia each year. Together, there are around 15.000 cases of violent criminal acts (damage to victim's life or health) in Slovakia each year. The police force is one of the least trusted institutions in Slovakia.
History
During the 1990s, there were 2.300 reported crimes per 100.000 citizens in Slovakia. In comparison with the neighboring countries - it was 3.200 in HungaryHungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, 3.400 in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, 4.100 in the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
and 6.100 in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. It has to be noted that the comparatively higher number of crimes in Austria is in a large part because Austrian citizens have a much higher law awareness and tend to cooperate with the police more than for example Slovaks.
From 1989 to 1999, the number of crime perpetrators has slightly risen from over 35.000 in 1989 to almost 45.000 in 1999. The number of perpetrators not convicted remains stable at some 80 percent of total perpetrators. Also somewhat stable is the number of habitual offenders at approximately 10.000.
The 2000s saw again a slight rise in the number of perpetrators and a steep rise in economic crime.
List of notable crimes committed in Slovakia after 1989
- From October 6, 1990 to July 16, 1991 BratislavaBratislavaBratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
had two active serial killers. Between them, international killer and necrophile Ondrej RigoOndrej RigoOndrej Rigo , is a Slovak serial killer and necrophile who targeted women in Bratislava, Munich and Amsterdam from 1990 to 1992. Currently serving a life sentence for 9 murders and 1 attempted murder in Leopoldov Prison in Slovakia, Rigo is a dissocial and schizoid psychopath while also being a...
and the "genius" serial killer Jozef SlovákJozef SlovákJozef Slovák is a Slovak serial killer who murdered at least five women in Slovakia and Czech Republic from 1978 to 1991. He is notable for being of above average intelligence, for example, being the author and holder of several patents in electronics...
murdered at least 10 people in the Slovak capital. - Vietnameese family of 5 mass murder by Viliam Hauser and Róbert Matta on April 8, 1994 in Bratislava.
- The kidnapping to AustriaAustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and light torture of the President of Slovakia's son Michal Kováč, jr. on August 31, 1995. See Michal KováčMichal KovácMichal Kováč was a Slovak politician in the early 1990s and the first President of Slovakia after the creation of that state from 1993 to 1998....
. From 1994 to 1998 the Slovak government committed several crimes, remaining unsolved to this day mainly because of the second amnestyAmnestyAmnesty is a legislative or executive act by which a state restores those who may have been guilty of an offense against it to the positions of innocent people, without changing the laws defining the offense. It includes more than pardon, in as much as it obliterates all legal remembrance of the...
by then acting president Vladimír MečiarVladimír MeciarVladimír Mečiar is a Slovak politician who was Prime Minister of Slovakia from 1990 to 1991, from 1992 to 1994, and from 1994 to 1998. He is the leader of the People's Party - Movement for a Democratic Slovakia...
in 1998 (the first amnesty was botched). This amnesty shielded Gustav Krajci and Jaroslav SvěchotaJaroslav SvěchotaJaroslav Svěchota, plk., JUDr. was the former Deputy Chief of the Slovak Secret Service and lawyer...
, and later also Ivan LexaIvan LexaIvan Lexa, Ing. is the former head of the Slovak Secret Service from 1995 to 1998. One of the closest allies of the former autocratic Prime Minister of Slovakia Vladimír Mečiar, under Lexa the Secret Service committed numerous high-profile politically motivated crimes.In 2000, Ivan Lexa fled...
. - Assassination of Róbert RemiášAssassination of Róbert RemiášAssassination of Róbert Remiáš took place on April 29, 1996 in Karlova Ves, Bratislava, Slovakia. Remiáš, an ex-police officer, was one of the key figures in the trial against Slovak Information Service in the case of Kidnapping of the Slovak President's son into Austria from 1995. Remiáš's car was...
in BratislavaBratislavaBratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
carried out by Jozef RoháčJozef RoháčJozef Roháč a.k.a Potkan is a Slovak criminal, terrorist and mafia hitman, specializing in explosives. He is mostly known for installing the explosive device in the Assassination of Róbert Remiáš and in assassinations of numerous organized crime bosses in Slovakia and Hungary...
and Imrich Oláh and ordered by the Slovak Secret Service (Slovenská informačná službaSlovenská informacná službaSlovenská informačná služba is an intelligence agency of the government of Slovakia.- History :Slovenská informačná služba was established on January 21, 1993 as a descendant of the Federálna bezpečnostná informačná služba FBIS...
) on April 29, 1996. - Assassination of former Minister in three Slovak governments and privatisation oligarchBusiness oligarchBusiness oligarch is a near-synonym of the term "business magnate", borrowed by the English speaking and western media from post-Soviet parlance to describe the huge, fast-acquired wealth of some businessmen of the former Soviet republics during the privatization in Russia and other post-Soviet...
Ján DuckýJán Duckýright|thumb|Bajzova Street in [[Bratislava]], Ján Ducký was murdered in the middle apartment houseJán Ducký, Ing. was a Slovak politician, former Minister in three different Slovak governments and Director of SPP...
on January 11, 1999. He was shot three times to the head in the hallway of an apartment building in BratislavaBratislavaBratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
by an unknown gunman. It was probably a targeted killingTargeted killingTargeted killing is the deliberate, specific targeting and killing, by a government or its agents, of a supposed terrorist or of a supposed "unlawful combatant" who is not in that government's custody...
in relation to the so called Duckého zmenky. - Mass murder of the whole mafia gang of Pápayovci (11 people) in Club Fontána in Dunajská StredaDunajská StredaDunajská Streda is a town in southern Slovakia . Dunajská Streda is the most important town of the Žitný ostrov region. It has a Hungarian ethnic majority and its population is 23,562 -Name:...
on March 25, 1999. This execution carried out by three unknown gunmen remains the worst case of mass murder in modern history of SlovakiaHistory of SlovakiaThis article discusses the history of the territory of Slovakia.- Palaeolithic :Radiocarbon dating puts the oldest surviving archaeological artifacts from Slovakia - found near Nové Mesto nad Váhom - at 270,000 BCE, in the Early Paleolithic era...
. - The Kyselinári case 2000-2001 - the most spohisticated case solved by the Slovak police to that date, involving carousel trading with fake computer software, murders and dissolving the bodies in acidAcidAn acid is a substance which reacts with a base. Commonly, acids can be identified as tasting sour, reacting with metals such as calcium, and bases like sodium carbonate. Aqueous acids have a pH of less than 7, where an acid of lower pH is typically stronger, and turn blue litmus paper red...
. - The murder of student Daniel TupýDaniel TupýDaniel Tupý was a Slovak university student from Žilina. His violent death shocked the Slovak media and public, and aimed the public attention at the violence and growing dangers of the various Slovak extremist groups.- Life :Daniel was born and raised in Žilina...
probably by neo-nazis (or low-ranking mafiaSlovak mafiaSlovak mafia constitutes various organized crime groups in Slovakia, controlled primarily by Slovak interests. Slovak mafia does not have significant international presence and even in Slovakia, their activities are limited by boundaries set by the powerful Russian mafia and various Balkan groups...
) in PetržalkaPetržalkaPetržalka ) is the largest borough of Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. Situated on the right bank of the river Danube, it is home to approximately 150,000 people.-History:Historical records of Petržalka exist from 1225...
, BratislavaBratislavaBratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
on November 4, 2005. His murder became a symbol of violence and rasizm still present in BratislavaBratislavaBratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
. - Controversial case of assault on Hedviga Malinová in NitraNitraNitra is a city in western Slovakia, situated at the foot of Zobor Mountain in the valley of the river Nitra. With a population of about 83,572, it is the fifth largest city in Slovakia. Nitra is also one of the oldest cities in Slovakia and the country's earliest political and cultural center...
on August 25, 2006 worsening international relations between SlovakiaSlovakiaThe Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
and HungaryHungaryHungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
. - 2010 Bratislava hidden explosives incident and Dublin bomb alert caused by the Slovak police in PopradPopradPoprad is a city in northern Slovakia at the foot of the High Tatra Mountains famous for its picturesque historic centre and as a holiday resort. It is the biggest town of the Spiš region and the tenth largest city in Slovakia with a population of approximately 55,000.The Poprad-Tatry Airport is...
. On January 2, 2010 Slovak police put 90 grams of RDXRDXRDX, an initialism for Research Department Explosive, is an explosive nitroamine widely used in military and industrial applications. It was developed as an explosive which was more powerful than TNT, and it saw wide use in WWII. RDX is also known as cyclonite, hexogen , and T4...
plastic explosivePlastic explosivePlastic explosive is a specialised form of explosive material. It is a soft and hand moldable solid material. Plastic explosives are properly known as putty explosives within the field of explosives engineering....
into the baggage of a Slovak citizen living in IrelandIrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, whose apartment was later raided by the irish police after having a whole city district sealed off. - Ľubomír HarmanĽubomír HarmanĽubomír Harman was a Slovak spree killer who on August 30, 2010 killed 7 people, and wounded 17 more in a densely populated suburb of the Slovak capital Bratislava, before committing suicide after receiving what would have been a fatal wound from the police...
became the first Slovak spree killerSpree killerA spree killer is someone who embarks on a murderous assault on two or more victims in a short time in multiple locations. The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics defines a spree killing as "killings at two or more locations with almost no time break between murders."-Definition:According to the...
after killing 7 people before committing suicide in 2010 Bratislava shootings2010 Bratislava shootingsThe 2010 Bratislava shooting, or Devínska Nová Ves shooting, occurred on 30 August 2010 when eight people died and at least 17 were injured after a lone gunman opened fire in Devínska Nová Ves district in a suburb of the Slovak capital, Bratislava...
in Devínska Nová VesDevínska Nová VesDevínska Nová Ves ) is a borough of Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. Its western borders are formed by the Morava River, which also represents the national border between Slovakia and Austria....
, BratislavaBratislavaBratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
on August 30, 2010. - Former Chairman of the Czechoslovak Constitutional Court and prominent lawyerLawyerA lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
Ernest ValkoErnest ValkoErnest Valko, JUDr., PhD. was the former Chairman of the Czechoslovak Constitutional Court and prominent Slovak lawyer. Valko was shot dead inside his home in Limbach in 2010...
was murdered in his house in LimbachLimbach, SlovakiaLimbach is a municipality in western Slovakia in Pezinok District in the Bratislava Region, under the Little Carpathians. It is particularly well known for its production of wine.-History:...
on November 8, 2010. - On December 10, 2010 the Slovak policeLaw enforcement in SlovakiaLaw enforcement in Slovakia is divided among various agencies under the Slovak ministries of Interior, Justice, Traffic, Defense, Finance and local governments within the Republic. The Slovak Secret Service also lists among its tasks those usually reserved for the police force, for example...
loaded a truck with 15 tons of precursors to manufacture heroin, telling the Czech transport company that was supposed to take it to TurkeyTurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
it was chloramineChloramineChloramines are derivatives of ammonia by substitution of one, two or three hydrogen atoms with chlorine atoms. Monochloramine is an inorganic compound with the formula NH2Cl. It is an unstable colourless liquid at its melting point of -66° temperature, but it is usually handled as a dilute...
. The truck's driver Zdeněk Pekara was cought, briefly imprisoned over ChristmasChristmasChristmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
and later expelled from Turkey and banned for a year from entering the country, putting an effective end to his job since his transport company was specialised on Turkey. Pekara later survived a heart attack. Minister of Interior Daniel LipšicDaniel LipšicJUDr. Daniel Lipšic, LL.M. is a Slovak politician who currently serves as the Interior Minister of Slovakia. He previously served as Minister of Justice of Slovakia from 2002 to 2006.. , The New York Times He is a member of the Christian Democratic Movement, a party currently in the governing...
publicly declared on his blog that he is proud of the Slovak police for choosing a brave solution (in war on drugs).
Illegal drug trade in Slovakia
Slovak Republic is a party to the 1988 UN Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, the 1961 UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, the 1972 Protocol thereto, and the 1971 UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances. Not only the manufacture and selling of certain drugs is illegal but also their possession. Slovak law does not differentiate between hard drugs and soft drugs and sentences can in theory be as harsh as life imprisonment.Until the mid-1990s the drug situation in Slovakia remained somewhat stable; extensive small-scale illicit amphetamine production, no opium poppy
Opium poppy
Opium poppy, Papaver somniferum, is the species of plant from which opium and poppy seeds are extracted. Opium is the source of many opiates, including morphine , thebaine, codeine, papaverine, and noscapine...
cultivation, only minimal cannabis
Cannabis
Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...
cultivation in private greenhouses and the country was already a key transit point for smuggling Asian heroin to Western Europe both via Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
and lying on the "Balkan route" from Turkey. Seizures of cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
up to this point have been minimal and at this time Slovakia emerged as another crossroads for cocaine traffickers seeking new routes to Western Europe (Colombian traffickers
Illegal drug trade in Colombia
Illegal drug trade in Colombia refers to the practice of producing and distributing illegal drugs with psychoactive effects in Colombia. Colombia has had four major drug trafficking cartels which eventually created a new social class and influenced several aspects of Colombian culture...
have been smuggling cocaine through the neighboring Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
since 1991). Because the banking sector in Slovakia was still in nascent stages at this time, drug money laundering
Money laundering
Money laundering is the process of disguising illegal sources of money so that it looks like it came from legal sources. The methods by which money may be laundered are varied and can range in sophistication. Many regulatory and governmental authorities quote estimates each year for the amount...
operations were limited.
In November 1995, an independent national drug service was created in Slovakia and the government established a new comprehensive anti-drug plan to target drug trafficking and use and made drug-related changes to the criminal code. The biggest seizures made by the Slovak police
Law enforcement in Slovakia
Law enforcement in Slovakia is divided among various agencies under the Slovak ministries of Interior, Justice, Traffic, Defense, Finance and local governments within the Republic. The Slovak Secret Service also lists among its tasks those usually reserved for the police force, for example...
in 1995 were a 123.5 kilogram heroin seizure, and a 25 kilogram cocaine seizure. Implementation of chemical control regulations and legislation continues to create concern about the vulnerability of the country's well-developed chemical and pharmaceutical industry being partially used for the production of illegal drugs or precursor chemicals.
See also
- Life imprisonment in Slovakia
- Slovak Information Service
- Human trafficking in SlovakiaHuman trafficking in SlovakiaSlovak Republic is a source, transit, and limited destination country for women and girls from Moldova, Ukraine, Bulgaria, the Balkans, the Baltics, and China trafficked to Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Sweden, Italy, Austria, the Netherlands, Spain, Croatia, and Slovenia for...
External links
- Registered criminal offences by regions in the Slovak Republic in 2009 total - official data from the Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic
- Damages caused by criminality in total (1989-2005) - official data from the Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic
