Police in Transition
Edited by András Kádár, Hungarian Helsinki
Committee
"The essays are a snapshot of the current state of
debate within a broad segment of the human rights, NGO
and academic communities. The authors address comparative
practices, international and European standards, legal
norms and alternative future for policing and police
reform in CEE."
- James Andrew Goldston, Deputy Director, Open
Society Institute, New York
The police forces of the transition countries in Central
and Eastern Europe have to undergo profound reform to
be able to respond to the needs of society; to serve
the public and not just the government, and to prove
that they can effectively combat crime.
This volume is the result of a survey by the Hungarian
Helsinki Committee concerning the mode and extent of
changes police forces of the post-communist countries
have undergone since 1989 - 1990. Information is provided
about the relevant tasks, organization, personnel, accountability,
and international relations of the national police forces
and about the coercive measures they are entitled to
use.
Written by internationally acknowledged experts of
policing and representatives of human-rights organizations,
Police in Transition deals with the questions of transition,
European trends in the governance of the police, the
relationship between police and criminality, the role
of the police in the constitutional framework, the limits
of policing, police brutality, civilian oversight of
the police and the possibilities of a democratic reform
of police forces in Central and Eastern Europe.
This timely book offers invaluable information for
those involved with human rights, criminology, sociology,
justice, and for other members of the law enforcement
community.
Contents
1. Police and Transition: Introduction. Questions
of Transition; The Impact of Transition: a Comparison
of Post-Communist Societies with Earlier 'Societies
in Transition' 2. Comparative Studies and Country
Analyses: Police Organization and Accountability
- a Comparative Study; Police in the Constitutional
Framework - Limits of Policing; Researching the Police
in Central and Eastern Europe; Policing in Transition
Countries versus Standards within the European Union
- Hungary where Dreams are not Fulfilled; Police Governance
in Romania; Some Remarks on Police and Human Rights;
3. Models of Policing: Improving the Training
System of Police Officials - Problems of Creating an
International Standard for Police Officers in a Democratic
Society; Modernization of Society and Police Activities;
Policing a Diversity of Cultures: Community Policing
in Transforming Societies; Slippery Slopes? The Paramilitary
Imperative in European Policing; Target Areas of Police
Reform; Police and Crime 4. Oversight and Accountability:
The Role of NGO's in Civilian Oversight of Police; Monitoring
Detention by the Police - Experiences with Civilian
Oversight of Law Enforcement Forces; The Police and
Non-Governmental Organizations in Poland; Civil Liability
and Police Accountability in the United States 5.
Police Brutality: Police Brutality or Police Torture;
Working through Police Violence in Bulgaria - the Human
Relations Perspectives
2001
250 pages
ISBN 978-963-9241-15-2 paperback $22.95 / €19.95 / Ł13.95
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