Andrej Sotlar

Handbook on policing in Central and Eastern Europe

Introduction: Historical Background, Developments, and Challenges of Policing in Central and Eastern Europe.- Country Studies: Policing in Austria, Policing in Bosnia & Herzegovina, Policing in Croatia, Policing in Czech Republic, Policing in Estonia, Policing in Macedonia, Policing in Germany, Policing in Hungary, Policing in Kosovo, Policing in Montenegro, Policing in Russia, Policing in Serbia, Policing in the Slovak Republic, Policing in Slovenia, Policing in the Republic of Srpska.- Conclusion: Trends and Areas for Further Research.

Post‐conflict private policing: experiences from several former Yugoslav countries

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse the development of the private security sector in several former Yugoslav countries that have gone through difficult post‐conflict reconstruction including the field of security.Design/methodology/approach – The paper takes a qualitative approach to data collection that includes interviews with experts in the field of private security from several ex‐Yugoslav countries.Findings – While much effort is invested in the rebuilding of new, democratic public police forces in post‐conflict societies, little attention is usually paid to non‐state providers of security, for example, private security industry. Private security could, potentially, be both a crucial additional stabilising factor in assuring security in post‐conflict environments and a cause of instability if it lacks legislative control, professionalism and ethical guidance. Hence, both the state and the police should support the private security industry in helping it to achieve legitimacy and, where...

Recent Developments of Policing in Slovenia

The goal of this chapter is to present the development of the Slovenian police and policing from a research perspective over the last two decades. Policing in Slovenia has been characterized by changes towards democratic policing practices, and over the last two decades, it has changed significantly, both in conceptual and formal-organizational terms. One of the main characteristics of significant changes of policing in Slovenia is also a rapid development of police research and support of empirical research on police and policing in police reforms in the country. It is important to understand that after two decades of Slovenian independence, changes in the field of police work are still occurring due to new crime and disorder patterns, as well as recent austerity measures which impact on the quality of policing and social control in general.

Urban security management in the capitals of the former Yugoslav republics

This article presents a study on urban security management in the capitals of the former Yugoslav republics (FYR): Ljubljana (Slovenia), Zagreb (Croatia), Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Belgrade (Serbia) and Skopje (FYR Macedonia). The article presents crime, natural disasters and other security threats in the region using semi-structured interviews with municipal security experts and officials as well as university researchers who deal with or manage security issues in the respective cities. The main findings show that collaboration between the various state and local organizations is necessary for the provision of safety and security in urban settings. Competencies, knowledge, skills and integrity are required for urban security managers and all partners in safety and security provision practice.

Do We Trust Them? Public Opinion on Police Work in Plural Policing Environments in Central and Eastern Europe

Although there are many studies in the field of public confidence in authorities in the West, this is still not the case in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Moreover governments and police forces lack awareness that their performance is based not only on the effective investigation of criminal offenses and maintenance of public order but also on the adoption, support, and trust that citizens show toward the police as well as toward other stakeholders of the expanding security/police community. The purpose of this chapter is to analyze existing research findings on public confidence in policing bodies from the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and to draw attention to gaps that still exist in this field that are typical for countries in transition.

Introduction to Handbook on Policing in Central and Eastern Europe

In the mid-1990s, the College of Police and Security studies in Ljubljana, Slovenia, began organizing a biennial international conference on Policing in Central and Eastern Europe which became a traditional police studies event which grew beyond its primary boundaries and became a conference on Criminal Justice and Security in Central and Eastern Europe in 2012.