Law enforcement in Croatia
Law enforcement in Croatia[Counties of Croatia|] is the responsibility of the Croatian Police, which is a public service of the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Croatia, carrying out certain tasks, the so-called, police activities, laid down by law.
The Police deals with the following affairs: protection of individual life, rights, security and integrity, protection of property, prevention and detection of criminal offences, misdemeanors, violations, search for perpetrators of criminal offences, misdemeanors, violations and their bringing before competent authorities, control and management of road traffic, conducting affairs with aliens, control and security of state border, and other affairs defined by law.
In the operative sense, police affairs are divided into affairs related to public peace and order, affairs related to security of public gatherings, affairs of the border police, affairs of safety of road traffic, affairs of counter-explosive protection, affairs of the criminal police, crime-technical affairs, crime-files affairs, administrative affairs, nationality-related affairs, status questions and asylum, affairs of protection and rescue, inspection affairs and technical affairs.
In recent years, the force has been undergoing a reform with assistance from international agencies, including the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe since OSCE Mission to Croatia began there on 18 April 1996, with Croatia being admitted to OSCE on March 24, 1992.
Police powers
Police officers' powers in order to maintain peace in Croatia, such as the power to stop and search, seize property and use force, are regulated. A police officer in Croatia may only stop and search a person if a court has issued a warrant and it is possible that this person has broken the law or is in possession of items or tools which are considered unlawful.A police officer is only allowed to use firearms if there is an immediate threat to his own life or the lives of other people, to prevent a crime from being committed for which the minimum prison sentence is five years or more, or to prevent the escape of a prisoner caught committing an offence for which the prison sentence is a maximum of ten years.
Organization
The General Police Directorate is an administrative organization of the Ministry of the Interior constituted for conducting police affairs.The General Police Directorate is responsible for:
- screening and analysis of the state of security and developments leading to the emergence and development of crime;
- harmonization, guidance and supervision over the work of Police Directorates and Police Administrations;
- immediate participation in particular more complex operations of Police Directorates and Police Administrations;
- providing for the implementation of the international agreements on police cooperation and other international acts under the competence of the General Police Directorate;
- organizing and conducting of criminal forensics operations;
- setting the prerequisites for the efficient work of the Police Academy;
- adopting of standards for the equipment and technical means;
- setting the prerequisites for the police readiness to act in the state of emergency.
There are the following organization forms within General Police Directorate:
- Police Directorate
- Criminal Police Directorate
- Border Police Directorate
- Command of Special Police
- Operational Communication Centre
- Forensic Centre
- Police Academy
- Special Security Affairs Directorate
Police stations are established for direct police and other affairs in each Police Administration.
Border control
Croatia has had an external border with the Schengen area since the accession of the country to the EU. As part of the major migration movements from 2015, Croatia became part of the so-called Balkan route. The European Border Agency Frontex has a small mission in Croatia to assist the police at various border crossings. In July 2018 Frontex organized the air reconnaissance of the border with Bosnia with a reconnaissance aircraft as part of the Frontex 'Multipurpose Aerial Surveillance. The aircraft transmit moving images of remote sensing cameras in real time to the Frontex Situation Center in Warszawa.Critics
For several times NGOs report, that the Croatian police illegally and arbitrarily deport refugees to Bosnia-Herzegovina, ie from the EU. It would come again and again to attacks by the Croatian officials to the refugees.Ranks
Regular Police (''Temeljna policija'')
Intervention Police (''Interventna policija'')
Police officer in intervention group | Leader of intervention group | Commander of a section in intervention Police | Commander of platoon in Intervention Police - Instructor | Assistant Commander of troop in Intervention Police | Commander of troop in Intervention Police | Deputy/Assistant Commander of Intervention Police unit | Commander of Intervention Police unit | Instructor in headquarters of Intervention Police | Assistant Commander of Intervention Police | Commander of Intervention Police |
Policajac u interventnoj policiji | Vođa grupe u interventnoj policiji | Zapovjednik odjeljenja | Zapovjednik voda – instruktor | Pomoćnik zapovjednika satnije interventne policije | Zapovjednik satnije interventne policije | Zamjenik zapovjednika – pomoćnik zapovjednika | Zapovjednik jedinice interventne policije | Policijski službenik – instruktor | Pomoćnik zapovjednika interventne policije | Zapovjednik interventne policije |
Special Police (''Specijalna policija'')
Police Officer - specialist | Leader of specialized group | Instructor - Commander of platoon in Special Police | Assistant Commander of Intervention Police unit | Commander of Special Police unit | Instructor in headquarters of Special Police | Assistant Commander of Special Police | Commander of Special Police |
Policajac - specijalac | Vođa specijalističke grupe | Instruktor – zapovjednik voda u specijalnoj jedinici policije | Pomoćnik zapovjednika specijalne jedinice policije | Zapovjednik specijalne jedinice policije | Instruktor u zapovjedništvu specijalne policije | Pomoćnik zapovjednika specijalne policije | Zapovjednik specijalne policije |
Weapons
- MP5
- UZI Uses Copy of the Mini-Uzi variant manufactured as Mini ERO
- G36C
- CZ75
- HS2000
- H&K UMP
- H&K MP7
- H&K 417
Equipment
Helicopters
Aircraft | Quantity | Introduced | Notes |
Agusta-Bell 212 | 1 | 9A-HBM | |
Bell 206B | 3 | 9A-HDB, 9A-HBZ, 9A-HBC | |
AgustaWestland AW139 | 2 | January 2016 | 9A-HRP,9A-HPH, second delivered on 28. June 2016. |
Eurocopter EC135 P2+ | 2 | 2013 | 9A-HBA, 9A-HBB, |
Robinson R22 Beta | 1 | 9A-HAG, |