Barriers were erected in St. Mark's Square on Monday evening in the wake of a shooting incident in which a police officer was seriously wounded, and citizens' movement will be restricted until a longer-term solution is found through dialogue with the state institutions in the area, the Interior Ministry said on Tuesday.

The police have restricted movement pursuant to Article 51 of the Police Duties and Powers Act which allows the police to temporarily restrict access to and movement within a certain area or detain people for various reasons including providing security for protected persons, buildings and areas, the ministry said.

The police will exercise this power in St. Mark’s Square until such time a solution is found through dialogue with the institutions that have offices in this area, namely the government, parliament, Constitutional Court and church authorities.

That means that citizens will not be allowed into St. Mark’s Square. Only those people who have a justified reason to enter this protected area will be allowed entry.

Chief of police Nikola Milina said this morning that barriers have been erected and that no one can enter the square “without a justified reason.”

“This has compelled us to do more regarding security,” Milina said, adding that this was one of the first measures until a security arrangement was agreed.