Taking into account the sharp increase in refugee movements and border crossings, Slovenia is strengthening controls in the border area with Croatia. According to media reports, additional police checkpoints were created at certain points close to the previous border crossings in the southeast of the country and in the coastal region.
Slovenian Interior Minister Bostjan Poklukar confirmed the reports at a press conference and stressed that the police increased their controls at the most critical points on the border with Croatia. These are “compensatory measures in the border area”. Border controls are not currently under discussion.
Strengthening measures has been discussed for a long time. Measures within the country have already existed since Croatia joined Schengen. When the number of border crossings rose to more than 40,000, police responded, the minister said. He confirmed that controls have been increased in the Novo Mesto and Koper police area.
Police want to intensify controls
Police also said this was not a reintroduction of border controls, but simply an intensification of existing controls where most people enter the country. To this end, mobile police units were reinforced in the border area, a police spokeswoman told the STA news agency.
According to the media, the new controls were introduced in the Novo Mesto police department area, in the towns of Rigonce, Trnovec, near Metlika and Obrezje. In the Koper Police area, they will take place in the towns of Rakitovec, Podgorje and Socerga. According to Minister Poklukar, the police will check travelers at their discretion.