President signs amendment to law on Police Corps

President Zuzana Caputova signed an amendment to the law on the Police Corps on Wednesday, TASR has learnt from the president's spokesman Martin Strižinec. In line with new legislation sponsored by the Interior Ministry, the Police Corps will be restructured, name tags on police uniforms will be removed and police officers will be invested with expanded powers. The new basic structure of the Police Corps will consist of the Police Corps Presidium, departments with countrywide jurisdiction and departments with local powers. The amendment leaves the more detailed organisational division of the Police Corps up to the interior minister and Police Corps president. Police officers will no longer be required to wear name tags on their uniforms, following reports of slander and intimidation of officers and their families. The new expanded powers concern instances during which officers are allowed to handcuff individuals, or demand breathalyser tests or testimony from persons who might help shed light on the circumstances necessary to solve a crime, for instance. The legislative changes reflect directives of the European Parliament and the Council of the EU regarding the Schengen Information System.