Yesterday, 19 October, interior minister Daniel Lipsic made a brief visit to the village of Plavecky Stvrtok near Bratislava to examine issues regarding the local Roma community there.
The interior minister was accompanied by village mayor Ivan Slezak as they toured illegally erected shack housing of Roma inhabitants in a protected nature reserve.
The mayor referred to the shacks as a danger to local residents, but attempts by the local government to tear them down have stumbled on legislative barriers and protests by NGOs. Mayor Slezak also spoke to the minister about the the local community’s concerns due to petty theft, muggings and even attacks on teachers by Roma pupils at the local primary school.
Minister Lipsic assured the mayor that he would help arrange the removal of the illegal shacks and also improve law enforcement in the area in an attempt to combat crime.