Police Reform

Visit of Croatian Expert to Tajikistan

Ms. Danijela Petkovic, Deputy Head of the MIA Academy of the Croatian Republic has arrived in Dushanbe on 25 March 2013 to assess the opportunity of capacity building of the MIA Academy of Tajikistan in training of personnel for the Tajik Police.

The visit is organized in the frame of implementation the Police Reform Strategy for 2013-2020 and the MIA RT education system reform. During the stay, Ms. Danijela Petkovic will also attend the Training Center of the MIA and will meet with the Police Reform Steering Working Group members from the MIA. She will stay in Tajikistan until 31 March 2013.

According to Ms. Petkovic, there was the reform of police staff training system in Croatia as well, which is now in compliance with international standards of police preparation.

Newly recruited persons to Croatian Police Service attend an annual training in the Police College. Further, they take a six-month internship, on the results of which they take an exam. Persons, passing tests successfully, are given the primary ranks (from private to senior sergeant), who can start an independent service in the Police of Croatia. Meanwhile, the use of polygraph is allowed.

In order to enter the Police Academy, it is necessary to pass exams and competition (the number of applicants in 2010 was 7 persons per one seat). The competition is conducted transparently, and by the staff of quite different ministry – on creating working conditions (by the “Ministarstvo radi stvaranja uvjeta rada”). They prepare an annual plan of accepting the Academy graduates, based on which the number of students, who will study in the Police College and Academy, is determined. The enforcement of demands of the Croatian law “On Police” is strictly ensured while receiving documents: the candidate for police service should be a citizen of Croatia; at least should have a secondary education; must be under 25; must have certain psychic and physical abilities; must be liable for military service; and must be “worthy to perform the police functions.”

According to the law, the following people who are not “worth to serve in the police are: convicted persons for the criminal offence for the purpose of gaining personal benefits or dishonourable motives; persons, who were punished for acting against public order with violent or other acts; persons, whose past conduct, habits and preferences denote his/her unreliability of performing the duties.” Individuals, dismissed from the state or municipal service due to discrediting reasons, are not accepted into police service. The police staff is employed to serve based on selection procedure.

The candidates, not trained in the Police Academy, are not assigned for officers’ positions.

The students study legal issues and specialized disciplines within the first three years, while the training on forensic technique and tactics compose up to 35 percent of the training course.  The practice gets a special attention as well – after completion of training courses, a future police employee of Croatia knows and can apply in practice 14 standard police procedures, which are frequently met during the work of a police staff.

There is also a Higher Police School in Croatia, where in the fourth year of study, the students learn their specializations, as well as the refresher training, according to which police graduates from the academy must attend such courses four times a year.