Over 100 foreign police officers ensure safety for Croatian tourists this season
The 'Safe Tourist Destination' project marks 21 years of operation this year, with police officers from 23 organizations across Europe and the world participating.
The 'Safe Tourist Destination' project marks 21 years of operation this year, with police officers from 23 organizations across Europe and the world participating.
More than a hundred foreign police officers from 23 police organizations have been deployed this tourist season across Croatian coastal and island destinations as part of the 'Safe Tourist Destination' project, and the 21st anniversary of the project was marked in Šibenik at St. Nicholas Fortress, HRT reports. According to the portal Narodno.hr, the project was launched in 2006, while the celebration of the 21st anniversary in 2026 implies a start in 2005, so sources are inconsistent on this point.
Foreign police officers are deployed according to the needs of tourists from their own countries, and their primary role is to facilitate communication and procedures in cases of traffic accidents, thefts, disappearances, and other incidents. According to data from the portal Narodno.hr, this season alone, 12 police officers from Poland are working in Croatia, the largest number from a single foreign police organization involved in the project. They are stationed in the areas of the Split-Dalmatia, Istria, Zadar, Primorje-Gorski Kotar, and Dubrovnik-Neretva police administrations, where the largest number of Polish tourists also stay.
Croatia hosts over 1.24 million tourists from Poland annually, making it one of the key source markets. The presence of officers who know the language, legal system, and working methods of their home country can speed up procedures in crisis situations. Poland has been participating in the project since 2010, and to date, a total of 130 Polish police officers have worked in Croatia, ranking it among the longest-standing and most active partners.
At the ceremony in Šibenik, Interior Minister Davor Božinović highlighted the value of the initiative.
"This is a great project and it has become an internationally recognized brand confirming that Croatia is a safe destination. Foreign police services are happy to send their people because they see it as beneficial for their system and their citizens,"Božinović said, according to HRT's report. Since the project's inception up to this season, a total of over 1,420 foreign police officers have participated, with the last two years recording a record 108 foreign police officers during the summer months, according to Narodno.hr data.
Director of the Croatian Tourist Board (HTZ) Kristijan Staničić emphasized the importance of the country's safety reputation.
"It is no small thing that in these uncertain times we are one of the safest destinations,"Staničić said according to HRT, adding that it is still too early to discuss tourist results for July. The millions of guests visiting Croatia each year during the short summer period place significant pressure on the police and local infrastructure, so international cooperation has a practical, not just symbolic, dimension.
Police Director General Nikola Milina participated on July 24, 2026, in Warsaw in the celebration of Polish Police Day, where alongside the ceremony he held working talks with representatives of INTERPOL, EUROPOL, FRONTEX, and CEPOL. The topics of discussion were organized and cross-border crime, illegal migration, police education, and development of operational capacities, according to Narodno.hr. Such meetings show that the cooperation between the two countries goes beyond the seasonal presence of police officers on the beaches and extends to broader security challenges facing Europe.
