Community Policing in Poland, Final Report

• NCJ Number: 199360
• Author(s): Maria Haberfeld; Piotr Walancik; Aaron M. Uydess; Elizabeth Bartels
• Date Published: January 2003
• Length: 196 pages
• Publication Series: NIJ Research Report
• Grant Number(s): 1999-IJ-CX-0042; 63615-00 32
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)

Annotation

This report details issues involved with law and policing, and more specifically Community Oriented Policing (COP), in Poland.

Abstract

For Community Oriented Policing to be effective there must be public support for the police and their activities. There are four main components that are necessary for a community to support the activities of local police: (1) a community must feel threatened by crime on a daily basis; (2) a community must have respect for local and central authorities, including the police; (3) a community must think that its rule of law is just; and (4) a community must have faith that its police, prosecutors, and general system of justice is both impartial and effective. The authors explain that the likelihood of the successful implementation of COP in Poland is poor. However, in recent years, Poland has witnessed its crime rate soar as revolutionary changes within the political and economic systems of Poland have occurred. Thus, in order to assess the likely success of COP in Poland, the authors begin, in chapter 1, with a historical study of the relations between the police and Polish society. Next, in chapter 2 the authors discuss the present state of crime in Poland. Chapter 3 examines the relationship between Polish citizens and authorities taking into account the transformations that have occurred in the political and economic systems of Poland during the past 10 years. In chapter 4, the authors discuss the Polish judiciary system as ineffective, including its penitentiary system. Chapter 5 turns to an analysis of the level of social trust between the police, prosecutors, the judiciary system, and the prison services. In chapter 6, the authors discuss the degree of achievement attained with the COP program, especially as it concerns the community, elected officials, community agencies, and the local media. Chapter 7 discusses recent reforms made within the Polish police system, while chapter 8 describes the Program to Combat Crime, which was established by the Polish Government. Finally, in chapter 9, the authors present their conclusions and offer an analysis of two sets of questionnaires that were distributed to police officers and students.