Urgent measures
Protective orders
The Law on Prevention of Domestic Violence precisely determines the actions of the police, public prosecutor’s offices, courts of general jurisdiction, misdemeanor courts and centers for social work in the procedure of preventing violence, with the aim of suppressing domestic violence and eliminating the immediate danger of domestic violence.
According to the Law, all citizens are obliged to report domestic violence or imminent danger of it to the police or public prosecutor without delay.
Proceedings for domestic violence are initiated before the public prosecutor’s office, that is, the police by filing a criminal complaint. A criminal report can also be submitted orally for the record.
Action of the police
Police officers are obliged to immediately inform the competent police officer in charge of domestic violence about any domestic violence or imminent danger of it, regardless of how they found out about it, and they have the right to, themselves or at the request of the competent police officer, bring the possible perpetrator to competent organizational unit of the police, to conduct the procedure.
If the existence of a risk is determined, the competent police officer imposes one of the protective orders within 48 hours of delivery, after which within 24 hours the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office assesses the risk and can ask for an extension of the protective orders for another 30 days, on which the decision is made the court.
The protective orders that the competent police officer can issue by order are:
- Order of temporary removal of the perpetrator from the apartment i
- The order of a temporary ban on the perpetrator to contact and approach the victim of violence.
By order of the competent police officer, one or both protective orders may be imposed.
If the perpetrator violates the protective order imposed in this way, he will be sent to the competent prison for up to 60 days.
Group for coordination of protection against domestic violence
In each specific case, the risks are assessed to determine whether there is an immediate danger of domestic violence, regardless of whether the danger has already occurred.
The group considers every case of domestic violence that has not ended with a final court decision in civil or criminal proceedings, cases where protection and support should be provided to victims of domestic violence and victims of criminal acts, creates an individual plan of protection and support for the victim and proposes measures to the competent public prosecutor’s office for ending court proceedings.
If necessary, representatives of educational, educational and health institutions and the National Employment Service, representatives of other legal entities and associations and individuals who provide protection and support to victims can attend the meetings.
Composition of the group for coordination and cooperation
The group for coordination and cooperation consists of representatives of basic public prosecutor’s offices, police administrations and centers for social work, from the areas for which the group is being trained.
The members of the coordination and cooperation group are appointed by the heads of the authorities, from among the deputy public prosecutors who have completed specialized training, and competent police officers and employees of social work centers who work on cases of domestic violence.
The group for coordination and cooperation is chaired by a member of the group from among the deputy public prosecutors.