The Analysis of the Legal Regulations Regarding the Legal Status of Victims and Witnesses in the Reformed Criminal Proceedings and the Willingness of Citizens to Cooperate with the Police

Since the beginning of 2009 the new and significantly changed Criminal Procedure Act has become effective. Regarding the structural changes in proceedings, a new and different approach to criminal proceedings is emphasized in the introduction, which becomes a mechanism for the protection of human rights and freedom. A procedural position of a victim, who is introduced as a new procedural participant, has been analyzed. The Act guarantees the procedural rights of a victim, which can especially be seen in the obligations of procedural subjects to make decisions aimed at the protection of witnesses. There are greater possibilities of claims for indemnification and the difference between a victim and an injured party is emphasized. Witnesses continue to have an important role in criminal proceedings, while vulnerable and endangered witnesses receive a more sensitive approach. Police are often the first to have grounds for suspecting that a criminal offence has been committed. That is the reason for special analyses of police procedure towards victims and witnesses, on the basis of legal regulations as well as empirically determined information about the relationship between police and citizens. Empirically determined data are the result of the national opinion poll about the safety and security of citizens, police procedures, and the cooperation between the police and the local community, which was conducted from May to July 2009 in the Republic of Croatia.