During the trip to Slovenia, the two officers will meet their colleagues and observe organization of police and security work, as well as assist Lithuanian fans, the department has announced on Tuesday.
According to the press release, Lithuanian police actively cooperated with with their Slovenian counterparts in the run-up to the championship: shared relevant information needed to avoid misunderstandings that have occurred in the past in connection to bans for fans to bring drums into basketball arenas, as well as conflicts that occurred in Spain six years ago.
During the championship in Spain, the conflict between local officers and Lithuanian fans emerged due to a wooden flag pole, which the fans were not allowed to bring into the arena. The fans then said the security staff tore the Lithuanian national flag.
"The Lithuanian police has provided Slovenians with all the necessary information about Lithuanian fans, Lithuanian basketball traditions, methods, gear and tools used by Lithuanians to support their national team. The Slovenian authorities visited Lithuania during EuroBasket 2011 to observe the performance of Lithuanian police and security officers, collected relevant information and learned from their Lithuanian colleagues," reads the press release.
Earlier this year, the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry announced plans to delegate a staff member of the ministry's Consular Department to Ljubljana for the time of the championship to provide consular services to Lithuanian citizens.
"During major sports events that bring together large crowds of foreign fans, the number of unexpected events increases: fans lose their documents or have problems with the law-enforcement. To allow fast response to the situations, the staff of the Lithuanian Embassy to Slovenia will be increased," the ministry said.
EuroBasket 2013 is starting in Slovenia on Wednesday.
