Police officer seriously injured in knife attack while responding to domestic violence call

A 28-year-old police officer was seriously injured after being stabbed while responding to a domestic violence call in the village of Kali on the island of Ugljan on Thursday night.

The officer was attacked by a man armed with a knife and was taken to Zadar General Hospital, where she underwent emergency surgery.

"Because of the severity of her injuries, we had to operate last night. She has since been transferred to the thoracic surgery department. She is in good condition and recovering well," said Dr. Oliver Jurić.

Interior Minister Davor Božinović said the suspect has a long history of violence and is well known to police as a repeat offender with numerous criminal and misdemeanor offences.

"He's been charged with disturbing the peace, making threats and damaging property. I don't know how the local courts handled those cases, but it clearly did not discourage him from attacking a police officer," Božinović said.

The minister questioned whether the courts are being too lenient in cases involving attacks on police officers, arguing that suspended sentences fail to serve as an effective deterrent.

Božinović also expressed his support for the injured officer on behalf of the entire Croatian police force.

The suspect has been taken into custody, and a criminal investigation is continuing.