Over the last five years, the greatest number of thefts was reported on the Primorska motorways, but the number has decreased this year. The Koper police directorate believes this is the result of robberies being successfully solved in the past.

Scammers are most active at night, which is when the most audacious thefts are carried out, says Anita Leskovec, PR spokesperson at the Koper police directorate. "This mostly happened when holidaymakers were asleep in their vehicles. Scammers knocked on the car door saying that they had a flat tyre. When the victims got out of the car, their purses, documents and other valuables were taken."

We do still get cases of foreigners trying to sell fake goods and it’s mostly foreign citizens carrying out the thefts and robberies. "They are members of criminal gangs who come to Slovenia with the intention of carrying out criminal acts," says Leskovec.

The police say that rest areas in Slovenia remain safer than those in other EU countries, but advise caution when travelling abroad. Vehicles should not be parked in remote parts of large rest areas. It is better to park them in well lit locations, which are often under video surveillance.

Nataša Ugrin Tomšič, Radio Slovenija; translated by A. L.