Law enforcement in Slovakia
Encyclopedia
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
(Slovenská informačná služba) also lists among its tasks those usually reserved for the police force, for example fighting against organized crime and computer crime. Civil policing responsibilities are shared between the state and local level: in addition to the National Police Policajný zbor Slovenskej republiky, (Police Corps of the Slovak Republic) various municipal police forces exist. Other forces include the Military police, Railway police, Finance police, special forces units, and others.
Members of law enforcement agencies in Slovakia are known for poor performance, for example, in 2010 Slovak law enforcement agencies caused two high-profile international blunders, both times endangering an innocent person in the process (see Crime in Slovakia
). The three most numerous crimes committed by law enforcement members are according to daily Pravda: corruption, obstruction of justice and overstepping their competences. Every Slovak citizen older than 15 years is obliged by law to carry the Slovak identity card
at all times except very close to home, and be able to identify themselves to any of the numerous police forces.
announced that Slovak police satisfied the plans at 104,93 percent.
In the year 1967, under the OPOŽ units, an investigation service is established (bypassing other government structures). It was created by law No. 46/1967 Zb. After the fall of communism in 1989, Federal power ceases over the protection of the railway system in 1992.
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...
ministries of Interior
Interior minister
An interior ministry is a government ministry typically responsible for policing, national security, and immigration matters. The ministry is often headed by a minister of the interior or minister of home affairs...
, Justice
Justice Minister
A justice ministry is a ministry or other government agency charged with justice. The ministry is often headed by a minister for justice or secretary of justice or secretary for justice; sometimes the head of a department of justice is entitled attorney general.Specific duties may relate to...
, Traffic, Defense
Defence minister
A defence minister is a person in a cabinet position in charge of a Ministry of Defence, which regulates the armed forces in some sovereign nations...
, Finance
Finance minister
The finance minister is a cabinet position in a government.A minister of finance has many different jobs in a government. He or she helps form the government budget, stimulate the economy, and control finances...
and local governments within the Republic
Republic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
. The Slovak Secret Service
Slovenská informacná služba
Slovenská 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...
(Slovenská informačná služba) also lists among its tasks those usually reserved for the police force, for example fighting against organized crime and computer crime. Civil policing responsibilities are shared between the state and local level: in addition to the National Police Policajný zbor Slovenskej republiky, (Police Corps of the Slovak Republic) various municipal police forces exist. Other forces include the Military police, Railway police, Finance police, special forces units, and others.
Members of law enforcement agencies in Slovakia are known for poor performance, for example, in 2010 Slovak law enforcement agencies caused two high-profile international blunders, both times endangering an innocent person in the process (see Crime in Slovakia
Crime in Slovakia
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....
). The three most numerous crimes committed by law enforcement members are according to daily Pravda: corruption, obstruction of justice and overstepping their competences. Every Slovak citizen older than 15 years is obliged by law to carry the Slovak identity card
Slovak identity card
The Slovak identity card is issued to citizens of the Slovak Republic aged 15 and older. A Slovak ID card is can be used for travel in all member states of the European Union and the Schengen Area as well as several other European countries ....
at all times except very close to home, and be able to identify themselves to any of the numerous police forces.
History
In 2010, Slovak police established for the first time plans for different criminal areas. In October 2011, police President Jaroslav Spišiak and Minister of Interior Daniel LipšicDaniel Lipšic
JUDr. 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...
announced that Slovak police satisfied the plans at 104,93 percent.
Railway police
In 1918, the railways established its own security infrastructure, which at that time served only as a backup power for the police force. Armed men protecting the railways were established in 1935, their functioning was regulated by the law No. 86/1937 Zb from the year 1937, which also established the Armed guards units of the railways (Ozbrojených strážnych oddielov železníc). Later, in the 1950s, Public Security at the Railways (Verejná bezpečnosť na železnici) was created. Law No. 51/1964 Zb. establishes the Units of Armed and Fire protection of the Railways (Ozbrojená a požiarna ochrana železníc - OPOŽ) in 1964.In the year 1967, under the OPOŽ units, an investigation service is established (bypassing other government structures). It was created by law No. 46/1967 Zb. After the fall of communism in 1989, Federal power ceases over the protection of the railway system in 1992.