Children's cheerful chatter filled the premises of the Police Academy in Tacen on 6 June 2024, as the police estate beneath St Mary’s Hill (Šmarna gora) hosted 65 schoolchildren, who participated in the Safe on a Bike project. The police are the supporting partner of the long-standing project of the gas company Butan Plin promoting safe cycling for the youngest road users.

The children were greeted at the Police Academy with a doughnut and juice and left to enjoy the refreshments in the warm June sun. They were very excited when the police helicopter also flew to Tacen to welcome them. As the inquisitive questions from the children soon began to pour in, they were escorted to the large lecture hall of the Police College where their thirst for knowledge was quenched with a presentation on the profession of a police officer. After receiving the answers to their interesting questions, the children were taken to a circular path around the police estate, where they had to stop at three stations with fun learning activities.

At the first station set up in the gym, the children had to play the role of candidates for police officers and had to pass a physical strength test. At the second station, the children learned about the workday of a police officer in the field. They were received by a motorcycle officer, a criminal investigator, a police officer working at a police station and a service dog handler.

Our Safe on a Bike project partner, the Slovenian Traffic Safety Agency, was in charge of the third station. They set up a cycling track, where children had to ride their bicycles through a series of obstacles to test their riding skills and focus.

The goal of the visit was for the police to present the work and the profession of a police officer to the young guests and to convey preventive advice. We hope that the children will always remember this extraordinary day, and the smiling faces in the photographs can certainly attest to that.