Perception of Police Efficiency and of Police Officers Characteristics

This research's goal is to find the answer to the question: How do members of the Roma minority group (N = 200), as opposed to the remaining Istrian population (N = 200), perceive the police efficiency and the characteristics of police officers? It is assumed that the Roma, as one of the members of minority groups in Istria, are more discriminated in many ways compared to the rest of the Istrian population, and consequently perceive in different ways the efficiency of the police and the characteristics of police officers. The results show that there are differences in the perception of police efficiency and characteristics of police officers by the Roma and the Istrian population, but it is generally concluded that both groups observed evaluated mainly positively the efficiency of the police and the characteristics of police officers. This work is a step in the direction of shifting the role of the Roma from the object to the subject of criminal law and social security. The scientific and practical value of the results of this work provides the guidelines for the creation and implementation of measures for the prevention of intolerance and segregation, whereby the role of state bodies, primarily the Police, the Istrian County and the local government is emphasized.