MUNICIPAL POLICE IN THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA

Purpose: Municipal police is a rather new institution in Serbia, introduced only in 2010. This paper brings the firsthand experience of its function and operations in Serbian towns. Methods: Analysis is based on secondary sources, literature review and online survey conducted with representatives of Municipal police in several Serbian towns. Findings: The five-year activity of municipal police has had a positive effect on reducing the number of offenses against public order, as well as certain types of crimes committed in public places. When it comes to the number of reports submitted by the municipal police for committed criminal offenses, this number is not large but it certainly represents an important contribution to detecting of these acts and their perpetrators. The positive side of municipal police work is that its members relatively rarely resort to the use of force. Certain cases of political (mis)use of municipal police as well as overstepping the authorities and inadequate interventions towards vulnerable groups which draw a lot of media attention, have very bad influence to the perception and public stands on this service. This is a particularly difficult in Serbian context in which this institution exists in the field of interests and conflicts among political parties, which additional hinders its professionalization and legitimization. Research limitations: There are only few secondary sources about municipal police. Less than one third of respondents answered the questionnaire, and some of them gave socially desirable answers. Results of the research should be complemented with comprehensive survey of public opinion on Municipal police. Originality: So far there are no analyses of Municipal police in Serbia, so this paper presents initial findings regarding this issue.