Sakova Appoints Lucansky as New Police Chief
Bratislava, May 30 (TASR) – Milan Lucansky, incumbent Interior Ministry internal affairs inspectorate head, is set to become the new president of the Slovak Police Corps, as Interior Minister Denisa Sakova (Smer-SD) appointed him to this post on Wednesday.
Lucansky will assume his new post as of June 1, thus replacing Tibor Gaspar, who is leaving on Thursday (May 31).
In addition to the new police chief, Sakova at a press conference also presented further changes in the police management. The second most important post – Police Corps first vice-president – will for the first time be filled by a woman, Jana Maskarova, currently NAKA’s National Anti-criminal Unit deputy director. The post of police first vice-president has been empty since February, when Jaroslav Malik stepped down at his own request.
The final change concerns the post of Police Corps vice-president, which will be filled by incumbent Trnava Regional Police deputy director Robert Bozalka, who is set to replace Lubomir Abel in the post. Abel is leaving on his own volition on Thursday as well.
Sakova expects the new police management to continue its well-working activities and the results of the previous leadership. “I expect them to bring a new broom to some areas, such as cutting short criminal proceedings, boosting confidence in the police, and trying to reduce the level of defamation of all members of the Police Corps,” said the minister.
Lucansky will hold the post of Police Corps president only temporarily, until new legislation concerning the selection of the police chief comes into force. In the interim he wants to focus on various challenges, such as migration and terrorism.
When asked how Lucansky, who in the past faced various suspicions concerning his property, hopes to be seen as trustworthy, the interior minister said that the new police chief passed a complete financial check and two months ago received renewed security clearance of the “top confidential” degree. “All this media information and media scandals reported to his disadvantage were thus false accusations,” she said.
The departure of longest-serving police chief Gaspar has come following the murders of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his girlfriend and the subsequent mass public protests, which also resulted in the resignations of prime minister Robert Fico and interior minister Robert Kalinak (both Smer-SD).
