Community Policing in Poland, Final Report

By Haberfeld, Maria

Description
Legal Reference Publication

Excerpt
Executive Summary: For the concept of Community Oriented Policing (COP) to be effective, it must be based on the local community?s support for activities of the police. Practical examples of numerous countries and experience gathered over many years clearly demonstrate that a community will support activities of the police and will consciously, voluntarily and actively cooperate with it, if this community (1) feels threatened by crime on a daily basis; (2) has respect for local and central authorities; (3) is aware that it lives in a state of law which is ruled by just legal norms; and (4) has faith in the police and the system of justice and is positive about their impartiality and effectiveness. In comparison with the United States and Western Europe, conditions for the implementation of the COP concept are poor in Poland. This results from the Polish history. One hundred and fifty years of slavery and dependence on Russia, Prussia and Austria, five years of Nazi occupation and over 50 years of communist rule have not taught the nation respect for authority, legal order and the police. Furthermore, independent Poland, in the period between World War I and II (1919-1939), did not last long enough to change the negative image of the police on the part of society. On the other hand, the threat of crime - one of the conditions stimulating cooperation of the society with the police is real in Poland. The increase in the crime rate has been very rapid over the past 10 years, the number of crimes doubling in this period. Moreover, these are crimes especially painful for the society, e.g., thefts, demanding protection money, robberies and other violent street crimes. Drug and juvenile crimes are on the increase. Corruption is present everywhere, even among police officers.

Table of Contents
Table of Contents Introduction Chapter 1. The Relationship Between Society and the Police in Poland: Historical Background Section 1. Poland under Foreign Rule, 1772 - 1918 Section 2. Independent Poland, 1918 - 1939 Section 3. Polish Police during WWII Section 4. Police under Communist Rule in Poland Chapter 2. Crime in Contemporary Poland Section 1. Spiraling Crime Section 2. Organized Crime Section 3. Corruption Section 4. Crime Statistics, 19991 - 1999 Section 5, Crime in Poland Compared with Other Countries Section 6. Credibility of Crime Statistics Chapter 3. Poland, 1989 to 1999: From Communism to Democracy - Balance of Political, Economic and Social Changes Section 1. Political Changes Section 2. Economic Changes Section 3. Social Changes Chapter 4. Poland 2001: Crime and Punishment Section 1. Gloomy Statistics Section 2. The Court System: Sources of the Problem Section 3. Corrections