Abstract:

Digitization of various tasks and provision of electronic services reached the point that global internet outage would mean a complete collapse of contries. Even though worldwide changes triggered by the Coronavirus pandemic present enourmmous load on the global network, we have managed to overcome this with relative ease. As a result of global digitization, procedures concering public security must also transform to accomodate this change. Police force is a repressive public authority, responsible for protection of people, their health and possessions. Typical enforcement procedures which have been in place for decades must be inovated to utilize modern communication channels. One of the few effective ways of fighting the Coronavirus is by minimizing social contact between people or eliminating it altogether, which is known as social distancing. With restricted movements, households tend to be more isolated. This in turn means that people from one household are spending more time with each other, which bears some negative consequences. In this article, we point out some of the measurable indicators that the situation concerning household violence has worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Slovak Republic. This article is based upon data provided by the Slovak Police Force. Among the most frequent crimes classified as domestic violence are intimidation and civil rights violation. If violence against an individual is no longer tolerable, it is necessary to start crime prevention, so a pre-trial proceeding is initiated. We must address the change of distribution of crime types by changing pre-trial proceedings, which is why it is crucial we do not continue following established routines, but rather examine the current trends in criminal activities and react accordingly. We must address the growing need for education in these special circumstances on multiple levels. Firstly, we should be concerned with raising and improving judicial awareness and knowledge of the rights of victims of abuse. Secondly, flexible education of members of the police force goes a long way towards better results. Police officers must be able to recognize and correctly evaluate signs of home abuse, and take into consideration the silence of victims after situations of emotional or physical abuse. Based on empirical findings from questionnaire survey conducted on members of the police force, we point the importance of continuous learning for members of the police force, as they are right in the middle of these abusive situations, and the resolution and consequences of these situations rest on their shoulders.

Keywords:

Coronavirus pandemic, crime, domestic violence, prevention, modern communication channels.