Damjan Petrič, M.A., recipient of numerous police awards, is a career police officer and criminal police officer. Over the span of his 36-year-long career, he has progressed from serving as a police officer and criminal police officer on the ground to holding various management positions within the Police, drawing on his extensive experience, knowledge, and expertise.
He started as police officer, advanced to the role of criminal police officer at a police station, was subsequently promoted to Assistant Head of the police station, became police inspector in the Director’s Service of the Ljubljana Police Directorate, and later appointed as a criminal police inspector in the Criminal Police Division of the Ljubljana Police Directorate, followed by his role as Head of Property Crime Group. He then held positions as senior criminal police inspector in the Criminal Police Division and Assistant Head of the Criminal Police Division, before becoming Head of Criminal Police Division of the Ljubljana Police Directorate. His career progression continued with promotion to Director of Ljubljana Police Directorate and later to Director of the Criminal Police Directorate at the General Police Directorate.
After successfully graduating from the Police Cadet School in 1988, Petrič began his career at the Ljubljana Šiška Police Station, where he served as a police officer and criminal police officer until 1997, when he enrolled as a full-time student at the College of Police and Security Studies. In December 2000, he was appointed Assistant Head at Kamnik Police Station, and in 2002 at Domžale Police Station. In 2005, he took up the post of a police inspector in the Director’s Service of the Ljubljana Police Directorate and later of a criminal police inspector in the Criminal Police Division of the Ljubljana Police Directorate. In 2006, he became Head of Property Crime Group and in 2008, he was promoted to senior criminal police inspector in the General Crime Section of the Criminal Police Division of the Ljubljana Police Directorate. In 2009, he became Assistant Head of the Criminal Police Division, and in 2014, he was promoted to Head of Criminal Police Division of the Ljubljana Police Directorate. From 1 March 2022 he was Director of Ljubljana Police Directorate, and on 18 July 2023 he took over as the Director of the Criminal Police Directorate of the General Police Directorate.
Through his extensive career in various positions, he has gained broad experience across numerous areas, including general police tasks, management, decision-making, and the organization of work within police units. His expertise extends to personnel matters, crime prevention, and the investigation of various types of crime—ranging from general and organized to economic and cybercrime—as well as in the field of investigative support activities. He possesses knowledge and expertise in motivational and communication skills, integrity and ethics, mediation and conflict management, police training, and working within operational headquarters.
During the Slovenian War of Independence, he was a group head in the Ljubljana Riot Police Unit and has the status of a war veteran. In recognition of his exceptional contributions and achievements, he has been honoured with numerous police awards (Letter of Commendation, Bronze Badge, Silver Shield, Medal for Sacrifice, Gold Shield and Grand Bronze Shield with the Bronze Star). In addition to his regular duties, he has actively contributed to training programs on police powers and has participated in various working committees and groups.
He assumes his responsibilities as Acting Director General of the Police on 16 January 2025.