SLOVAKIA Twelfth UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Salvador (Brazil) 12-19 April 2010 Draft Statement by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice of the Slovak Republic Ms Viera Petrikové Dear ladies and gentlemen, Further to the 11" Congress on Prevention and Criminal Justice, which was held in Bangkok the Government of the Slovak Republic has prepared and in the year 2008 it has adopted the new crime prevention strategy and has finalized the legislative process of ensuring the prevention by adopting new special Law on Prevention of Crime and Other Anti-Social Activities. Under this law the crime prevention became the matter of concern for the whole society as well as the basis of the criminal policy of our country and the completely new system for financing prevention programs was established. This new law contains above all the definition of structure of public bodies of the Slovak Republic active in the field of crime prevention of and establishes their competences. They are central authorities of executive power — government, central and local authorities, as well as other public authorities ~ police, prosecution bodies, courts, municipalities and higher territorial units, Under this law the Ministry of Interior through its special unit processes data on criminal offences and other anti-social activities with special regard to the areas of trafficking of human beings, money laundering, cyber crime, juvenile delinquency, smuggling of migrants. At local level the relevant competences were given to the district offices situated in the regional seats. Rules for ensuring the rational financing of projects in the field of crime prevention from the means of state budget were also established. Council of the Government of the Slovak Republic for Crime Prevention as coordinating body was included into the permanent consultative bodies of the Government. This new legal regulation aimed at Slovak qualitative change in the field of crime prevention and prevention of other anti-social activities, as until its adoption it was performed in not systematic manner and without more complex legal regulation. Adoption of this law also contributed to more balanced relationship between prevention on one hand and repression on the other within the framework of the control of crime and other anti-social activity.In this respect allow me also to highlight the issue of victim protection, which is one of the priorities of the current presidency of the European Union and lies in the centre of criminal law policy of the Slovak Republic as well. The Law on Prevention of Crime and Other Anti-Social Activities of 2008 establishes all necessary tools for effective implementation and fulfillment of obligations resulting from the draft Salvador Declaration, the adoption of which Slovakia fully supports. Thank you for your attention.