Challenges of Public Safety in the Local Community

Challenges of public safety in the local community are highlighted in the crime policy, defined by the Resolution on the National Program for the Prevention and Suppression of Crime for the Period 2024–2028 (ReNPPZK24–28) (“Resolucija o preprečevanju in zatiranju kriminalitete 2024-2028 (ReNPPZK24–28)”, 2024). With its assessment of the deterioration of public safety, “ReNPPZK24–28” (2024) also draws attention to the worrying lack of a democratic and security culture. As this also leads to a decline in trust and people's willingness to cooperate democratically with institutional bearers of public safety, in some places local communities have inclined towards vigilantism. The Ministry of the Interior and the Police are rightly opposed to this, but the solution based on “ReNPPZK24–28” (2024) binding recommendations is (for now) not on the horizon. Instead of coordinated action, as required by the principle of coherence in the state policy on national security, local government bodies and state authorities are publicly accusing each other of inefficiency.