SNS seeks more special police in Roma settlements

The co-ruling Slovak National Party (SNS) is pressing for a show of for force, with regard to, the country's Roma settlements, which are frequently accused of high crime and delinquency rates. The issue emerged at a news conference after SNS representatives met Police President Ján Packa to discuss their proposals earlier on Thursday, March 25. "I've asked the police president to increase Special Forces dispatched to Roma settlements to prevent crime," said SNS lawmaker Jakub Gajdošík. "It was agreed that Packa would, in the weeks ahead, send a further 400 officers to Roma-populated areas instead of the, originally, planned increase of 300," said SNS vice-chair Rudolf Pučík. Gajdošík, for his part, named among other Roma-related issues the payment of social benefits, which, he claimed, many of the Roma simply drink away within days. He suggests cashless payments via social cards that would only allow purchases of food and sanitary supplies, and certainly not including alcohol and cigarettes.

The co-ruling Slovak National Party (SNS) is pressing for a show of for force, with regard to, the country's Roma settlements, which are frequently accused of high crime and delinquency rates. The issue emerged at a news conference after SNS representatives met Police President Ján Packa to discuss their proposals earlier on Thursday, March 25.

"I've asked the police president to increase Special Forces dispatched to Roma settlements to prevent crime," said SNS lawmaker Jakub Gajdošík. "It was agreed that Packa would, in the weeks ahead, send a further 400 officers to Roma-populated areas instead of the, originally, planned increase of 300," said SNS vice-chair Rudolf Pučík. Gajdošík, for his part, named among other Roma-related issues the payment of social benefits, which, he claimed, many of the Roma simply drink away within days. He suggests cashless payments via social cards that would only allow purchases of food and sanitary supplies, and certainly not including alcohol and cigarettes.

Sending special police forces to Roma settlements to prevent crimes is no solution, Government Proxy for Roma Ľudovít Galbavý responded on the same day as quoted by the TASR newswire. "We must begin at (the level of) municipalities… The municipalities must begin to deal with it and we're ready to help them at any time," said Galbavý, who also rejected SNS's proposal to introduce statistics of Roma crime.

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