Croatian officers join Slovenian police at ski resorts

The main job of the two Croatian officers is to help the Slovenian police in communication with Croatian citizens, Tomislav Omejec of the General Police Administration said at a press conference at Rogla on Friday.

Croatian skiers are the second largest group at Slovenian ski resorts after domestic guests, so the absolute number of Croatian skiers involved in accidents on the slopes is also higher than with other foreigners.

Around a thousand skiing accidents are recorded in Slovenia every season, 866 last winter, of which 33 were more serious and were processed by the police, while the rest were covered by ski resort inspectors.

Seasonal exchanges of police officers have been well received in the past both by guests and by tourism providers, according to Omejec, who stressed that this made guests feel better and safer.

Marjan Jozić, the head of the Croatian police's intervention sector, also said the goal was to make guests feel "as safe and comfortable as at home".

He added that the cooperation with the Slovenian police was excellent and that their officers were gathering experience from their Slovenian colleagues, which they will be then able to use at home.

The cooperation is a result of a memorandum between the two police administrations, confirmed by the Slovenian government in 2013, and it also includes Slovenian police helping out in Croatia at the seaside in the summer.

According to Omejec, exchanges allow faster and easier sharing of information, shorter and friendlier procedures.

Between 150,000 and 200,000 Croatian tourists are expected to go on skiing holidays this winter, mostly in Austria, Italy and Slovenia.

Slovenia is especially popular as a skiing destination among Croatian families with small children.