Slovak schools report more incidents after Staškov knife attack

Slovak schools were reporting more incidents to police by Oct 5 following a fatal knife attack at a primary school in Staškov, in the Čadca district, police officials said. The additional reports involved verbal and physical confrontations, with most cases occurring at primary schools. Police figures also show that more than two-thirds of the reported perpetrators were younger than 15.¹²

Increase in reports

Stanislav Hromádka, director of the public-order police department at the Presidium of the Police Force, described a rapid increase over several days. Police registered five cases on Monday, Sept 28, seven the following day and 18 on Wednesday, Sept 30. The reports also cite subsequent daily figures of 17 and 18 cases, although the dossier does not assign dates to those totals.¹²

Police data cited by both outlets classified 24 recorded cases as criminal offences and 22 as misdemeanours, while another 11 were treated as notifications. Most incidents occurred at primary schools. More than two-thirds of the reported perpetrators were under 15, 20 per cent were juveniles, and adults accounted for the remainder.¹²

Staškov investigation

The rise in reporting followed the knife attack at the primary school in Staškov. A 61-year-old teacher died from her injuries at the scene, and a female pupil also died. Police detained a 13-year-old eighth-grade pupil as the suspected attacker. The case is being investigated under the legal classification of an especially serious murder offence, in completed and attempted form.¹²

Peter Brndiar, deputy director of the Presidium’s Office for Combating Organised Crime, said investigators were seeking to establish the motive. Police president Jana Maškarová said the inquiry would have to determine the objective reason for the act. Brndiar could not confirm whether the suspected attacker had been bullied at school.¹²

Review of police response

Police had received a criminal complaint from the Staškov primary school five days before the attack in connection with an incident there. Maškarová ordered a review of the police response. The Office of the Inspection Service is examining the actions of officers after the complaint, while the police control department is also conducting an inquiry; neither process had concluded when the reports were published.¹²

Authorities did not confirm whether materials linked to radicalisation were found during a search of a home. Police were also examining people who circulated false information and unsupported theories about the attack on social media. The motive, any possible bullying and the reported discovery of radicalisation material therefore remained unresolved.¹²