Due to frequent violations of the Decree on the Prohibition of Driving in the Natural Environment, police officers of the Special Police Unit - Mountain Unit (PPE CE) of the Kranj Police Directorate performed intensified supervision of violations of driving in the Krvavec region on 23 February 2008.

In 2007, police officers in the jurisdiction of the Kranj Police Directorate dealt with 31 violations of the Decree on the Prohibition of Driving in the Natural Environment, while the previous year they dealt with only 12, which indicates a rising trend in the number of such violations. In the same region of Krvavec, police officers also dealt with three injuries which were the result of driving snowmobiles.

skupnaDue to icy terrain and diminished mobility, four police officers of the Mountain Unit participated in this year's intensified supervision, led by the inspector of the Sector of the Uniformed Police at the Kranj Police Directorate, Robert Kralj.

policistOn the day of the supervision, the police officers took an off-road vehicle to arrive at Jezerca, and from there on, in camouflage, used off-piste skis to arrive at Kržišče, where they began observation.

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Results of the current supervision: Police officers found six violations of the Decree, apprehending violators driving snowmobiles on the meadow and in the forest on Kriška Planina. Additionally, they discovered five violations of the Ski Safety Act, as the violators were apprehended while driving their snowmobiles on the Krvavec ski piste. Dealing with the violators, the police officers imposed fines on two of the violators of provisions of the Protection of Public Order Act for indecent conduct towards an officer. The majority of the concerned violators were independent business people from the Ljubljana region, who were extremely arrogant in their interaction with the police; nevertheless, the police officers carried out their duties professionally and without using force.

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Besides protecting nature, the work of the police officers of the Mountain Unit and the intensified supervision of prohibited riding of snowmobiles achieved a positive effect on other people, those who seek peace and rest in the Kriška Planina apartment settlement and who are increasingly disturbed by the droning of snowmobiles at night. The work of the police officers was less accepted by the owners of snowmobiles, of whom there are around 60 in the region of Kriška Planina, according to an informal estimation. Their main gathering point is the Florjan farmhouse, where there is also an inn.

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The Decree on the Prohibition of Driving in the Natural Environment (Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia, No. 16-800/1995) and the amendments (Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia, No. 41-1694/2004) forbid driving, stopping, parking or organising drives with motor vehicles in the natural environment in Slovenia. Natural regions are all regions outside the regulated areas of cities, villages and other settlements and infrastructure. A fine of EUR 41.73 is imposed on a person for driving, stopping or parking a motor vehicle in the natural environment. In the same way, the Ski Safety Act prohibits other persons from driving snowmobiles on ski slopes.