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Policing in Central and Eastern Europe: Report on a Study Tour

NCJ Number
148856
Author(s)
D Fogel
Date Published
1994
Length
193 pages
Annotation
Police forces in Central and Eastern Europe are undergoing considerable change due to internal and external pressures, and the public is demanding a strong response to an increase in crime that has affected the region since the onset of political, social, and economic changes in the late 1980's and early 1990's.
Abstract
Police forces in Central and Eastern European countries are working under several handicaps, such as poor and outdated equipment, high turnover, poor salary and status, estrangement from the community, and insufficient expertise in how to respond to new levels and forms of crime. The European Institute for Crime Prevention and Control (HEUNI), affiliated with the United Nations, seeks to promote international cooperation in the development of European criminal justice systems. To this end, HEUNI sponsored a review of police forces in Central and Eastern Europe in 1991 to assess needs and determine how the international community could assist. The review of police forces in Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, and the Russian Federation employed questionnaires and interviews with police officials. The review found that poor morale and lack of respect for the police existed in every country. Hungary and Poland had more time to develop a market economy and their police establishments were more stable, but both countries suffered from underdevelopment and growing organized crime. Russia, Bulgaria, and Albania had basic developmental and technological hurdles to overcome. Police force development in the former Czechoslovakia was affected the country's split into two republics, the Czech Republic and the Republic of Slovakia. All Central and Eastern European countries were affected by isolation from their Western European counterparts. In general, the review of police forces indicated that the police must play a central role in restoring and maintaining domestic peace in the new era of market economies. Central and Eastern European police forces need to establish better relations with the public and effective contacts with Western European police forces and also need to take advantage of international assistance in reorganizing and improving police operations. Fourteen appendixes include the review methodology and questionnaire, national police profiles in Central and Eastern European countries, and information on activities of self-defense organizations and civil guards. Tables, figures, and charts