Representatives of the police presented the research project The Protection of Human Rights and the Police to the Human Rights Ombudsman.

General Director of the Slovene Police Marko Pogorevc used the opportunity to state that with this research the police hope to contribute to increasing the transparency of their work. The results of the survey carried out at the end of last year among police officers from all police directorates in Slovenia will be used as a basis in the formulation of the guidelines for the further work of the police in Slovenia. Pogorevc added that emphasis will be placed not only on greater supervision of the work of police officers but also on education and training at all levels, and that the considerable help already offered by the Human Rights Ombudsman will continue to be welcome.

The ombudsman welcomed the efforts of the police to raise the level of respect for human rights within their ranks. In his opinion the research into selected borderline hypothetical cases in which the police officer can most easily find himself in doubt gives a clear picture of the level of human rights awareness and the respecting of human rights among police officers.

The ombudsman has on several occasions proposed changes to legal regulations and the formulation of concrete instructions covering the work of police officers. These suggestions are confirmed by the research, and on its basis certain statutory or implementational changes will be made. Normative consistency is essential for the greater efficiency of police officers in their work and in preserving confidence in the police. Also vital is consistent punishment of violators from the ranks of the police, added the ombudsman, as he responded to the invitation of the general director to take part in the education of police management employees.

The ombudsman and the general director of the police agreed that raising police officers' consciousness of human rights and the respecting of the same is a process which both institutions will continue to strive towards in the future.