In the last two years, around 42 cases of attacks on public employees have been processed before Basic Court. Around 29 out of 42 have been completed with acquittal. Police officers were the most frequent targets of attackers, followed by representatives of legislative, executive and judicial power.
Prosecutors Željko Tomković and Saša Čađenović as well as magistrate Jelena Stanišić from Kotor, are some of the representatives of state authorities who were targets of attackers while being on their duty. Attorney Slobodan Smolović said that this problem could be solved by more severe punishment policy of Montenegrin courts.
Legislative norms in Montenegro referring to sanctions against attacks on public employees are similar to those in the region and in the world, but according to Smolović, punishments imposed by Montenegrin courts in such cases do not fit the gravity of the offence.
“Punishment policy of courts will have to be changed. More severe punishment should be imposed for those offences against state authorities. Therefore, the problem lies in lenient punishment system”, said Smolović.
Specific punishments for such offences range from 3 month to 3 year imprisonment. Smolović reminds that attack means also a threat and not only physical attack.
“Pushing or grabbing person’s arms is an attack as well. They are usually treated as harmless but they actually led to public employee becoming incapable of performing his/her activity”, explains Smolović.
