On 3 November Deputy Director General of the Police received police officers who, as experts of police work at the border, participated in Frontex joint operations.
By coordinating activities Frontex advances and promotes operational cooperation between EU member states, i.e. their border police forces in the control of external borders, where it performs control on behalf of all the member states. The Slovenian police have cooperated with Frontex ever since its establishment in 2005. Until this year, a total of 164 Slovenian police officers took part in its joint operations and pilot projects at sea, air and especially land borders. To this number, we can add another 39 officers, who took part in operations this year or are still doing work at one of the borders, and three seconded guest police officers. On average, between 30 and 40 Slovenian police officers take part in Frontex activities at the Schengen external borders every year.
Deputy Director General of the Police Tatjana Bobnar said in her address that even after Croatia's entry into the Schengen area preventing illegal migration, detecting forged documents, preventing and detecting smuggling and other forms cross-border crime will remain on top of the agenda of the Slovenian police. "It became clear a long time ago that state borders - physical or administrative - are no obstacle for criminal acts of individuals and internationally organised criminal groups. And for this reason they should be no obstacle for connecting with colleagues from the neighbouring countries, with different authorities and agencies. What is more, protecting common borders and security interests should be an added motivation for such work." She added that international police cooperation at the global/supranational level had become a necessity for fast exchange of information, experience, practices and operational support is one of the most effective tools for good operational work.