Božinović visits injured police officer: 'Five attempted murders this year alone'

Croatian Interior Minister Davor Božinović visited a police officer who was seriously injured by a knife during a domestic violence intervention on the island of Ugljan. The 28-year-old officer sustained a lung puncture but is not in life-threatening danger and is expected to return to duty after recovery.

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It was a matter of centimeters. It's a puncture of the lung lining.

During his visit to the Zadar General Hospital, Božinović emphasized the dangers faced by law enforcement, revealing that over 1,030 attacks on police officers have occurred in the last five years. This year alone, there have been five attempted murders of police officers, underscoring a worrying trend of escalating violence against those in uniform.

The minister also addressed the judicial response to domestic violence. Citing police analyses and statistics, he noted that approximately 86% of proven domestic violence cases result in suspended sentences, meaning perpetrators often avoid jail time. Božinović expressed concern over this, suggesting that while courts have judicial independence, the high rate of suspended sentences warrants review, particularly for offenses with potential prison terms of six months to five years.

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We need certainty and speed of punishment.

Božinović argued that a lack of strict punishment can lead to the escalation of criminal behavior. He stressed the need for certainty and speed in the judicial process, stating that police analyses indicate that when perpetrators are not severely punished, their unlawful actions tend to worsen. The minister also mentioned that the 78-year-old suspect, who has a history of 12 previous offenses, was on a suspended sentence at the time of the attack, which is likely to be classified as attempted murder.

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Our opinion is that if a penalty of six months to five years is prescribed for an offense, it should be shown through some analysis why so many people end up only with a suspended sentence.