Slovenian Government Adopts Šutar's Law Granting Additional Powers to Police

(Patria) - The Slovenian Government adopted Šutar's law at today's session, which contains a set of measures to strengthen security in the country.

According to Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob, the law is primarily intended for the prevention and fight against illegal weapons.

The government has also activated the army's assistance to the police in border protection, STA reported.

The new package of measures is named after Aleš Šutar (48), who was beaten to death in front of a local nightclub in Novo Mesto on October 25.

According to Golob, the bill provides "some answers on how to increase security in society".

Golob announces a fight against crime, not against one ethnic group. He stated that the bill is not intended for punishment, but for prevention.

The bill, among other things, grants additional powers to the police to act in areas with security risks.

Entry into premises or vehicles without a court order will be exclusively for the purpose of seizing weapons and is not intended for house searches.

This is intended to ensure that illegal weapons found anywhere in Slovenia are confiscated as quickly as possible, the prime minister stated.

In many respects, the proposal also changes the penal policy, he explained. The proposal aims to prevent individuals who repeatedly break the law from feeling untouchable.

Golob reminded that the law was drafted in a short period due to extraordinary circumstances, but that there will be enough time for certain amendments during the parliamentary debate.

He stated that the Government is committed to protecting human rights within the existing constitutional and legal framework, but is aware that the situation in Slovenia, especially in the southeast, requires urgent and effective action.

The law is expected to be presented to the deputies of the Slovenian parliament as early as the beginning of next week.

Today, the Government also activated Article 37 of the Defense Act, which allows the Slovenian Armed Forces to cooperate with the police in the broader protection of the state border within the country.

According to Golob, this allows the police to call on army members for assistance with a very limited set of tasks at the border.

Minister of the Interior Boštjan Poklukar, who is in charge of current affairs, explained that the Slovenian army will be activated from tomorrow, and will perform tasks of protecting police procedures in mixed patrols.

Poklukar emphasized that the army cannot be activated for police tasks, and the activation is aimed at relieving police units in southeastern Slovenia.