The Ministry of Interior has pinpointed crime hot spots in Slovakia with the aim of boosting the police presence in them and so combat crime more effectively.
Interior minister Daniel Lipsic was outlining the plans for 2011, which include the restructuring of the entire police force, with railway and border being police to be subordinated to the central Police Presidium. As announced earlier, the ministry wants to get officers back onto the streets instead of sitting around in offices.
Lipsic said that to make progress in combating crime in the hot spots, the number of officers would have to be increased and also receive special training on how to gain the trust of the locals.
On other issues, Lipsic said that the recently adopted system of informing the public where speed traps are located was designed to cut the number of road accidents, instead of using speed traps to collect as much money as possible.
Lipsic also reiterated the plans that were adopted following the Bratislava shooting spree in August, whereby police officers are to be better equipped with firearms and protective clothing, and receive better training on how to deal with these kinds of incidents.
The ministry is also battling to get stricter rules in place for the issue of gun permits, including regular psychological tests for license holders, but the legislative proposal is being contested by gun lobby groups.