Katarina Vučko, a member of the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM), which operates under the Human Rights Ombudsman of the Republic of Slovenia, attended the annual seminar of the Independent Police Complaints Authority Network (IPCAN) in Paris on 4 and 5 December 2025, hosted by the French Ombudsman. The main topic of the meeting was the relationship between the police and minors, with special attention paid to respecting the dignity of the child and ensuring safeguards in police procedures. Katarina Vučko was also appointed to the board of the IPCAN network, which confirms the professional credibility and international recognition of the work of the NPM in the field of police oversight.

The meeting participants discussed various aspects of police work with minors: handling of arrests, use of coercive measures, provision of legal aid, the role of parents, interrogation procedures, and conditions of detention, as well as assessing the vulnerability of children and appropriate communication between police officers. In this context, Katarina Vučko presented selected cases of the Ombudsman, and a special discussion also took place on cases from the practice of other member states and on key risks for unjustified interference with the rights of minors.

The network members have also formulated the content of the IPCAN 2025 Declaration, which will call on national and European authorities to adopt all necessary measures to ensure respect for the dignity and rights of minors in police procedures. The draft emphasises, among other things, the need for clear and concrete guidelines for policing with minors, mandatory training for police officers, strict regulation of the use of coercive measures, effective protection procedures for children in detention, and special treatment of the most vulnerable groups, such as unaccompanied children and victims of human trafficking.