STA, 10 June 2020 - A police officer committed suicide after robbing a bank in the north-east of the country on Tuesday and injuring a member of the public who tried to catch him in an incident that has shocked the Slovenian police force.
The details of the incident, which unfolded at the town of Cankova on the border with Austria on Tuesday afternoon, were presented to reporters on Wednesday by Damir Ivančić, director of the Murska Sobota Police Department.
Ivančić said that the officer, a member of the Murska Sobota Police Department, had been working in the force for more than 25 years.
Two years ago he was subject to disciplinary procedure due to "alleged deviant conduct resulting from his personal circumstances and indebtedness".
After undergoing treatment, the medical examination commission decided that he was fit to return to his duties as a police officer, his superior told reporters.
The officer entered the bank in Cankova at around 3pm Tuesday, demanding of the staff at gunpoint to hand over cash. After a bank employee handed him the money, he fled the scene.
While on the run he was intercepted by two members of the public. One of them was slightly injured in the altercation and was taken to hospital.
The officer, who had fired several shots in the ground during the pursuit, committed suicide with his officer gun, according to preliminary inquiries.
Police Commissioner Anton Travner today expressed his "genuine regret that one of our employees crossed the boundary of law and propriety in such a grave manner, which should never have happened".
While offering his condolences to the officer's family, Travner said the event "unfairly hurt the good name of all police officers who perform their duties honestly and with dedication".
A dedicated department of the Specialised State Prosecution service in charge of investigating crime allegedly committed by police officers has been involved in the investigation of the incident.
The commissioner has also ordered an oversight at the Murska Sobota Police Department.
