First-grade high school student attitudes about the role of Police and preventive activities of Zagreb Police

The networking and preventive actions of the institutions involved in upbringing and education of the youth are a necessary perquisite for the development of a healthy and a productive society. The implementation of the preventive programs of Zagreb Police as a standard part of primary school and high school education is a possible step towards attainment of such a goal. Throughout the years, the Zagreb Police is continuously implementing preventive programs intended for students of different age groups. A part of them is a lecture for first-grade high school students, that is carried out as a part of the program "No, because no". This aim of this study was to examine the attitudes of the students towards the Police and the preventive programs, as well as their readiness for engaging in self-protective behaviors and contacting the Police when faced with a situation of endangered personal safety. The sample consisted of 1705 high school students who took part in the research. The results showed that the students had a positive attitude towards the Police, police officers and the preventive programs. However, they also suggest that establishing more frequent and systematic contacts between students and the Police would increase the probability of students approaching the Police while in endangering situations and that these contacts could also reduce the fear of Police, which is somewhat present among youth. The students rated the evaluated lecture with highest grades, wherein it is especially important to note that students positively rate the direct involvement of the Police in the preventive work with the youth.