Some thirty foreigners were waiting at the entrance to the police station in Zagreb's Remetinecki Gaj neighbourhood as early as 4 am on Thursday, waiting in line to obtain the necessary documents that would enable them to work and live in Croatia.

Only two desks are working at the station which is open from 7 am to 3 pm every day. Because of that, the station can process only 150 requests a day, N1 reports.

The Zagreb Police Department said it was aware of the issue and are planning an internal reorganisation in order to increase efficiency. The process could be made easier if those who need the station’s services would book an appointment to come and take the necessary paperwork or use the Redomat queueing app where they can receive a number, they said.

“People come in large numbers at a certain time of day, which plays a huge role in the way we work. Most of them come early in the morning so they can do what they need immediately after the station opens and go back to work. This is why the crowds are biggest in the morning. As the requests are handled, the waiting times become shorter and the situation is more bearable,” they added.

“These people were all here at 3 am. What am I supposed to do, miss work for days and wait here until it’s my turn? This is harassment, this is a violation of human rights,” one person waiting in line told N1. He arrived at the station at 1 am. “They say they will open more desks, sure, when?”

Maria, who is originally from Ukraine, came at 3 am to get her temporary residence card.

“The other day I came at noon and they told me all the numbers were distributed for the day… I liked it more when we could go to the central police station and get a ticket for the line. It made more sense to me,” she said.