Former police chief: releasing arrested extremists makes them heroes

If the police arrest extremists only to release them the next day, the latter will be perceived as heroes within their community, said former Police Corps chief Jaroslav Spišiak in an interview with the Hospodárske Noviny daily on Tuesday. Spišiak made comments about security patrols on public trains which are being carried out by the far-right party Kotleba - People's Party Our Slovakia (LSNS) and its leader Marian Kotleba. According to Spišiak, the police shouldn't deal with these patrols in a repressive manner. "The police need to make these people feel ashamed of putting on green shirts and acting like saviours in order for train passengers to view them as unwelcome. These men are simply wimps who haven't been able to make any headway in life and are in need of gaining respect. They need people to be afraid of them and for others to trust them", said Spišiak.