Fake officer operated at Brnik Airport for 18 months, review finds

A man posed as a police officer and took part in official police actions at Brnik Airport near Ljubljana for 18 months, an internal review by the Slovenian Ministry of the Interior found.

Supervision exposed procedural failures at Police Directorate Kranj

The extraordinary oversight ordered by former Interior Minister Branko Zlobko uncovered a series of professional errors, missed opportunities and systemic weaknesses in the work of the Police Directorate Kranj. The review concluded that the shortcomings could have allowed unauthorized access to secure areas and even endangered aviation safety.

The first report that a man was presenting himself as a police officer, performing police powers and carrying a weapon was registered on 30 September 2025. That intelligence was judged to be credible and reliable but, because of its sensitive nature, it was made available to only a limited number of officers. Despite that, no internal security procedure was launched and the leadership of criminal police was not notified for additional checks.

A second report about the fake officer arrived on 9 October, yet the man continued to operate. He was finally identified on 15 October after officers at the Brnik airport police station recognised him in photographs from an airport accident; he had taken part in securing the scene. At arrest he was wearing clothing resembling a police uniform and officers found a forged official police identity card, a gas pistol and a notebook in which he recorded his activities.

The notebook showed that from April 2024 to September 2025 he participated in at least 16 official police procedures. He had moved freely into the administrative part of the station where access to confidential information is restricted. The man had formerly worked as airport security and was familiar with officers and how they operate. He presented himself to officers as an auxiliary police officer and had twice applied for employment and police education but was not accepted. He bought some police equipment via the internet portal "Bolha"; although the kit differed from standard issue equipment used by real officers, it did not trigger suspicion.

The oversight also identified procedural failures connected with his arrest. He was not deprived of liberty on a proper legal basis and the arrest paperwork was not correctly completed. By decision of the on-duty officer at Police Directorate Kranj, the Special State Prosecutor's Office and the Kranj district prosecutor, no search of his home was carried out and no electronic devices were seized. The Special State Prosecutor's Office only took the case on 5 November, and Police Directorate Kranj handed over documentation nine days later; the delay was judged to be another shortcoming.

As a result of findings in the report, an officer who allegedly collaborated with the impostor received a warning before dismissal and was later dismissed in March this year for giving a false reason for damage to an official vehicle. The commander of the Brnik airport police station, Jure Lešnjak, also received a warning but remains in post, as do several other officers.

Acting General Director of Police Daniel Lorbek, upon taking office, replaced the director of Police Directorate Kranj, Uroš Povaljet, and implemented measures recommended in the final oversight report. The police said the change of director was not directly related to the fake-officer case but aimed primarily at improving organisation.

The Ministry proposed establishing more effective systems for processing operational information, handling criminal cases and carrying out internal security procedures, and recommended steps to prevent or reduce resale of police equipment on the black market. The Special State Prosecutor's Office said an indictment decision has been made against one police officer and against the suspect who posed as an officer, but did not disclose what the decision was.

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