President Borut Pahor addressed a ceremony remembering the 1989 Operation North, a police campaign that prevented a Serbian nationalist rally in Ljubljana and is thus seen as one of the first steps in Slovenia towards the country eventually declaring independence. In his speech, Pahor warned against the politicisation of police today, write sloveniatimes.com
Depoliticisation of police started at the time of Operation North and it was one of the milestone processes on the path to Slovenia’s independence, Pahor said.
In that period, the police force set itself the goal of gradually becoming professional, politically independent and of working with the people and for the people, and for the democratically elected bodies.
Since independence, it has been gaining people’s trust, but this trust has been put to a test now due to the current social and epidemiological situation, Pahor said.
The Slovenian police force today shows maturity, commitment and loyalty but it is important that the public does not get the impression that it is being politicised.
While saying that he did not wish to judge the decisions or measures taken by senior internal affairs officials or MPs, Pahor noted that as president he would like to stress how important it was for a democratic society and country to have a highly qualified, professional police force that is loyal to the state and its people rather than to political parties.
This is why the president believes police should strive to keep enjoying the public’s respect.
