The Gotenica Supply Centre hosted the main celebration of National Police Day today, 20 June 2008. Minister of the Interior Dragutin Mate, and Director General of the Police Jože Romšek and co-workers attended the celebration.

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Apart from the above representatives of the police and the competent ministry, also present at the event were police delegations from Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary, and Croatia, along with retired personnel of the MI and the Police, and members of the Sever Association.

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The crowd was greeted by Director General of the Police Jože Romšek, who expressed pleasure at such large attendance at the celebration of Police Day.

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Director General Jože Romšek: "Dear colleagues and retired colleagues, allow me to congratulate you on behalf of the Slovenian Police and its leaders, on the day we all share as the day dedicated to the Slovenian police forces. Of course I must not forget those who were awarded for their successful work."

According to Romšek, the Slovenian Police have a well functioning system: "It functions well because it was built by several generations of our predecessors, namely by numerous police officers, senior police officers and chiefs of police. I need to point out that the Slovenian Police nowadays in the modern society functions under very different circumstances. It consists of approximately 9500 people. The Slovenian Police is a successful organisation. The proof thereof is registered in the statistics of the work performed since 2005, since as an example we can confirm an increase in the number of investigated criminal offences. We have tried all along to reduce staffing disparities, namely to activate more patrols and have more officers at the police stations. These results are complemented by well-executed tasks following the Schengen expansion and by the fact that the Slovenian Police played a key role in implementing security measures for various events during Slovenia's EU Presidency. Personally, I was head of a group of European Chiefs of Police. Our meetings were constructive in light of ensuring the highest possible level of human security for all citizens of the European Union, which is a precondition for social peace and economic growth."

"There is no room for politics in the police service. Our mission is to function for the benefit of all the residents of Slovenia, in compliance with the regulations prescribing our objectives and guidelines. Therefore it is impossible to ignore the constitutional principle to treat equally everyone who is reasonably suspected of having committed a criminal offence," Romšek emphasised, adding that he welcomes any form of constructive criticism, especially by those who are well acquainted with police work.

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The official speaker of the celebration was Minister of the Interior Dragutin Mate: "The history of the Slovenian Police and of the authorities of the Interior Affairs made it possible for us to make the correct decisions in 1990 and 1991. The role of the then Slovenian Militia during the period of acquiring independence is undeniable. In 1990 the Yugoslav People's Army almost succeeded in disarming the Slovenian Territorial Defence, the only military force that Slovenia possessed. The only force left was the Slovenian Militia. In the historic circumstances the will, equipment and arms of the Slovenian Militia made it possible for us to establish a manoeuvred structure of national protection, which was the framework for the preparation of armed resistance to the Yugoslav Army. Therefore we will not and must not forget the importance of each and every individual and of the entire supporting system involved in the process. Therefore I thank everyone who functioned in these operations and circumstances. The Slovenian Police has since then developed into a new, modernised system. And chose the date of the Holmec battles to become its commemorative day. Together with the members of the Territorial Defence it fought an honourable fight according to the rules of warfare. The day represents a milestone in the fight against the army, attacking with the objective to keep Slovenia in another country with a different view of the world."

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Minister Mate concluded by asserting that the entry into Schengen last year was not the result of political decisions: "It was you, the Slovenian Police exclusively, who made this step possible by joining forces with external police and bringing a good result. Moreover, the Slovenian Police was so well prepared for the entry to have been able to offer relevant knowledge to other countries facing certain problems while preparing for entry into the Schengen territory. The highly professional approach of the Slovenian Police was recognised in many countries, as well as by European Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security Franco Frattini, as they thanked the Slovenian Minister of the Interior and members of the Slovenian Police."

National Police Day is not only a memorial of the war, but also a memory of the decisive will to protect Slovenia and its people.

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The Police Orchestra played at the event. The orchestra is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year and is indispensable at all police events and events of national interest, where it never ceases to amaze with its top-quality performance and interesting repertoire. Actor Tone Kuntner and the Prifarski muzikantje folk band, dedicated to the conservation of the rich diversity of Slovenian folk tradition, were also to be seen and heard on the cultural programme.

For the conclusion, the guests in Gotenica were invited to view the presentations of police units and their equipment.

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The presentations were as follows: Special Unit, Specialised Unit for Traffic Control, Specialised Unit for State Border Control, Aviation Police Unit, Specialised Police units and the Ljubljana Police Dog Handlers Service and the Mounted Police Station in Ljubljana.

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The development of the Slovenian Police was marked by different periods ranging from a completely centralised form of management within the Yugoslav Federation to the independent period starting in 1991. The historical developments were significantly marked by the constant struggle for sovereignty over the Slovenian bodies of internal affairs. This has been a constant struggle ever since the gendarmerie, which marked the establishment of the Slovenian Police on 8 June 1849. In the period of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, the Slovenian gendarmerie was increasingly subordinated to Belgrade. In 1941 the People's Guards were established by decision of the Liberation Front of the Slovenian People. The People's Guards were predecessors of the Militia, which was founded after the Second World War. The Militia was a state body, performing usual "police" assignments as we know them today.

Find more on the history of the Slovenian Police in the monograph The Slovenian Police 

The year 1967 represents the first milestone in the history of the Slovenian Police, as only as late as that the first Internal Affairs Act came into effect in Slovenia. It was only then that the bodies of internal affairs came under the jurisdiction of Slovenia, and gradually a Slovenian faction of the Militia was created. The measures of 1990 adopted by the first Slovenian democratically elected Parliament gave Slovenia total sovereignty over its bodies of internal affairs. The organisational structure as well as the name was changed - in 1992, the Militia was renamed the Police.

Today, Slovenia prides itself on its modern police force, tailored to European standards. Its activity is laid down in the Police Act of 1998. Article 3 specifies the tasks of the Police, putting the protection of human life, personal safety and well-being among its priorities.

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