We have chosen 27 June as the Day of the Slovenian Police to commemorate the event in 1991 when police officers, who were members of the former police force at the time, clashed with the Yugoslav People’s Army at the Holmec border crossing.
This day is marked every year by a number of activities commemorating the organised and professional resistance against the aggressor in the territory of Slovenia, highlighting the active role of the police in achieving Slovenia’s independence. In particular, the day honours the memory of the convincing determination to protect the state and nation and of the unity, support and mutual trust between the Slovenian nation and its police.
It is undisputed that without the well-trained then called militia units and the heroic individuals and units who in cooperation with territorial defence and various civil societies (firefighters, rescue workers, etc.) effectively destroyed the power of the federal army, we would not be living today in a secure, independent and internationally recognised country.
From the very beginning, members of the internal affairs authorities participated in the protection of the independence processes of the Republic of Slovenia. The beginnings date back to 1989, when the police prevented the so-called "truth rally" and the spread of the "yogurt" revolution in Ljubljana on December 1st. The end of the process means the departure of the last member of the federal army from our territory on October 26, 1991.
The internal affairs authorities were therefore among the first to oppose the aggression of the Yugoslav People's Army, which wanted to prevent the then utopian goal of an independent state with tanks. Six policemen died to achieve this goal, namely Marijan Doblšek, Željko Ernoić, Robert Hvalc, Stanislav Strašek, Franc Šoster and Bojan Štumberger. Another 14 police officers were seriously injured while guarding and defending barricades, border crossings, or in clashes with the federal army.
Police Day is a holiday when the police and the entire Slovenian public remember the war of independence, which is written in capital letters in the history of the Slovenian nation.