Zadar Police Find Eight Children Under 16 Out at Night
The Zadar Police Department is intensifying oversight of young people's nighttime outings and reminding parents of their legal obligation to prohibit children under 16 from going out at night.
The Zadar Police Department is intensifying oversight of young people's nighttime outings and reminding parents of their legal obligation to prohibit children under 16 from going out at night.
Police officers from the Zadar Police Department, during the night of August 18-19, 2026, found eight children under the age of 16 out at night without the company of a parent, guardian, or another adult, the police confirmed.
The intensified oversight of nighttime outings is aimed at protecting children and minors from unacceptable and risky behavior and preventing criminal acts and misdemeanors against them. The police pay special attention to younger individuals because, as they state, practical incidents confirm that they often jeopardize their own safety through their behavior.
According to Article 93 of the Family Law, both mother and father are responsible for not allowing a child under 16 to go out at night unless accompanied by them or another trusted adult. A nighttime outing is defined as leaving the house between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m.
When police officers find a person under 16 alone during this period, they will bring them to the police station and call their parents. Each such case is reported to the competent Social Welfare Center.
The police warn that if such incidents recur frequently, measures and actions will be taken to establish the criminal liability of the parents and to prosecute them. This aims to further encourage parents to act more responsibly in accordance with their legal obligations.
The Zadar Police Department will continue its intensified oversight of nighttime outings of young people in the wider Zadar area, and the public will be promptly informed of any new findings.