Two police officers open the locked door of a room in Kratovo. A knife is waiting for them inside. One of them ends up with a stab wound and a laceration, classified as grievous bodily harm. That is the entire job description of a police officer in Macedonia, compressed into a single sentence - and that is exactly why it is worth reading slowly.

The Basic Public Prosecutor's Office in Kumanovo has ordered an investigative procedure against a 40-year-old man from Kratovo. The prosecutor has already asked the pre-trial judge for detention, on two grounds: flight risk and the possibility that the offence will be repeated. The charge is assault on an official performing security duties, Article 383 paragraph 3 in relation to paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code.

It happened on 11 September, while the two officers were intervening to prevent a crime. So they were not on a break, not on a routine patrol - they were in the middle of an intervention. When they forced the locked door open, the suspect attacked them.

Three days of silence, then a statement

The attack happened on Friday. The prosecution's statement arrived three days later. In the meantime, the public had no idea that a police officer was lying with a stab wound. Is that discretion in the interest of the investigation, or simply the rhythm we have all got used to? Around here, news about an assaulted officer usually arrives once the system has finished its paperwork.

What is left is the number of the article. Paragraph 3 of Article 383 is not written for shoving and insults - it covers cases where the assault causes grievous bodily harm. That is the difference between an incident and a serious crime, and the knife decided that difference, not the police report.

The pre-trial judge now rules on detention. Until then, the only measure that actually exists is the prosecutor's motion. The rest is up to the investigation - and to how long it takes.