More Cops to Patrol Croatian Streets

There will be more cops on Croatian roads and streets as a pilot programme gets underway this week across the country…

107 police stations in Croatia, including 5 in the capital Zagreb, will be taking part in the pilot, which will see the doors to smaller stations closed and officers sent out onto the streets. No longer will those stations involved in the pilot programme open their doors all day to the public, instead there will be two shifts. ‘Office’ hours will be 7:00am to 15:00pm, or 8:00 to 16:00pm, with the second shift seeing all officers out on the beat and the station closed. Doors will be locked with officers having a key in case they make arrests or need a bathroom stop.

The pilot is expected to save the Ministry of Internal Affairs hundreds of thousands of kuna, and will see more officers out and about during the ‘night shift’ as no longer will they be allowed to just sit at the station. Whether the pilot, which ends on 30 June 2014, becomes permanent remains to be seen.