Pomáhať a chrániť is the motto of Slovakia’s Police force, translating into “To help and to protect”. This motto will be put under the microscope under the order of Slovakia’s police chief Tibor Gašpar, with an evaluation underway to monitor how the police interact with the general public. The Hospodárske Noviny daily ran their own impromptu test by approaching two police officers in Bratislava and asking in English which bus heads towards the city. The daily reported that the officers answered bluntly, “Bus number 93,” and walked away.
According to police chief Tibor Gašpar, how officers interact with the public will begin to affect their remuneration, although this is a small part in a much larger police evaluation project. The evaluation will also monitor the level of service the officers provide in emergencies, their levels of discipline, and errors made by police staff. For police investigators, their criteria will include the number of solved cases, and how often the case returns to court due to mistakes. Currently the evaluation is only in its trial phase, however Gašpar believes it will make a noticeable impact on the quality of police work within the first year of it being in operation.
