Law enforcement in Croatia

Police
Policija
Police; Policija
	Emblem of the Croatian Police
Agency overview
Formed	1990
Preceding agency	Milicija; (SR Croatia);
Employees	25,670 of which 20,870 are uniformed personnel
Annual budget	4.48 billion HRK; (EUR ~600 million or USD ~679 million)
Jurisdictional structure
National agency	HR
Operations jurisdiction	HR
Governing body	Ministry of the Interior
General nature	Local civilian police;
Operational structure
Headquarters	Zagreb, Ulica grada Vukovara 33
Minister responsible	Davor Božinović, Minister of Internal Affairs;
Agency executive	Marko Srdarević, General Police Director;
Police Administrations	20
Facilities
Airbases	Lučko (LDZL)
Helicopters	9
Website
	www.policija.hr

Law enforcement in Croatia is the responsibility of the Croatian Police (Croatian: Hrvatska policija), 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.^[2]

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.^[3]

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.^[3]

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.^[4]

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.^[5] 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.^{[citation needed]}

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.^[5]

Organization[]

The General Police Directorate (Croatian: Ravnateljstvo policije) is an administrative organization of the Ministry of the Interior constituted for conducting police affairs. The General Police Directorate is responsible for:^[2]

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.

General Police Directorate is headed by General Police Director (Croatian: glavni ravnatelj policije).

There are the following organization forms within General Police Directorate:^[6]^[7]

Police Directorate (Uprava policije)
Criminal Police Directorate (Uprava kriminalističke policije)
Border Police Directorate (Uprava za granicu)
Command of Special Police (Zapovjedništvo specijalne policije)
Operational Communication Centre (Operativno–komunikacijski centar policije)
Forensic Centre (Centar za kriminalistička vještačenja)
Police Academy (Policijska akademija)
Special Security Affairs Directorate (Uprava za posebne poslove sigurnosti)

For immediate conducting of police affairs there are 20 Police Administrations (policijske uprave) divided into four categories, which cover the territory of the Republic of Croatia according to the organization of units of local self-government (counties or županije).

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 (MAS). The aircraft transmit moving images of remote sensing cameras in real time to the Frontex Situation Center (FSC) in Warszawa.^[8]

Critics[]

For several times NGOs report, that the Croatian police illegally and arbitrarily deport refugees to Bosnia-Herzegovina, ie from the EU (push-backs). It would come again and again to attacks by the Croatian officials to the refugees.^[9]^[10]^[11]

Ranks[]

Regular Police (Temeljna policija)[]

Probationer with Secondary School	Police college Cadet	Police Officer	Senior Police Officer	Police Sergeant	Senior Police Sergeant	Police Inspector	Senior Police Inspector	Leading Police Inspector	Chief Police Inspector	Police Commissioner	Police Senior Commissioner	Deputy Police Director	Police Director
Policajac vježbenik SSS	Policajac vježbenik VŠS/VSS	Policajac	Viši policajac	Policijski narednik	Viši policijski narednik	Policijski inspektor	Viši policijski inspektor	Samostalni policijski inspektor	Glavni policijski inspektor	Policijski savjetnik	Glavni policijski savjetnik	Zamjenik ravnatelja policije	Ravnatelj policije

Intervention Police (Interventna policija)[]

Intervention Police members

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)[]

Special Police members

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 ^[12]
G36C
CZ75
HS2000
H&K UMP
H&K MP7
H&K 417

Equipment[]

Since 2013, there were special efforts by the Ministry of the Interior to equip the Croatian police with new vehicles and uniforms. Police cars consist mainly of mostly Škoda Octavias, 4-door Opel Astras, some Citroën C-Elysées and, more prominently, Ford Focuses (unmarked sedans and marked estates).

Škoda Octavia police car
A motor officer patrolling in Zagreb on a motorcycle
Water cannon model CVT-6000
Mercedes-Benz Vito police van
Cantiere Navale Vittoria V-800HR police boat

Helicopters[]

Agusta-Bell 212^[13]
Bell 206B-3 JetRanger III^[13]
Bell 206B JetRanger II^[13]

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.^[13]
Eurocopter EC135 P2+	2+3^[14] On order	2013/2022	9A-HBA, 9A-HBB,^[13] 3 Additional helicopters ordred for €25.2 million ^[14]
Robinson R22 Beta	1		9A-HAG,^{[citation needed]}

Notes[]

^ https://www.mup.hr/public/documents/Financijska%20izvje%C5%A1%C4%87a/Financijski%20plan%20Ministarstva%20unutarnjih%20poslova%20za%202018.g.%20i%20projekcije%20za%20%202019.%20i%202020.%20godinu.pdf
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Police
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Republic of Croatia, Interpol
^ OSCE Mission to Croatia retrieved from here on May 19, 2007
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Police, Croatia retrieved from here on May 19, 2007
^ Organizational scheme of General Police Directorate
^ Ministarstvo unutarnjih poslova
^ https://www.euronews.com/2018/11/30/frontex-caught-people-smugglers-in-croatia
^ https://www.dw.com/en/croatia-police-accused-of-abusing-refugees/a-45110455
^ https://www.zdf.de/nachrichten/heute/menschenrechtler-kroatien-schiebt-migranten-ab-100.html
^ https://www.welt.de/vermischtes/article176846099/Kroatien-Polizei-schiesst-auf-Kleinbus-mit-illegalen-Migranten.html
^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-10-01. Retrieved 2009-10-22.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e AirForces Monthly. Stamford, Lincolnshire, England: Key Publishing Ltd. March 2016. p. 10.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b https://obris.org/hrvatska/kupuju-se-helikopteri-za-civilnu-zastitu/

External links[]

Police / Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Croatia

[1] ttps://www.mup.hr/public/documents/Financijska%20izvje%C5%A1%C4%87a/Financijski%20plan%20Ministarstva%20unutarnjih%20poslova%20za%202018.g.%20i%20projekcije%20za%20%202019.%20i%202020.%20godinu.pdf

[MUP-2] Jump up to: ^a ^b Police

[Interpol-3] Jump up to: ^a ^b Republic of Croatia, Interpol

[OSCE-4] OSCE Mission to Croatia retrieved from here on May 19, 2007

[PC-5] Jump up to: ^a ^b Police, Croatia retrieved from here on May 19, 2007

[6] Organizational scheme of General Police Directorate

[7] Ministarstvo unutarnjih poslova

[8] ttps://www.euronews.com/2018/11/30/frontex-caught-people-smugglers-in-croatia

[9] ttps://www.dw.com/en/croatia-police-accused-of-abusing-refugees/a-45110455

[10] ttps://www.zdf.de/nachrichten/heute/menschenrechtler-kroatien-schiebt-migranten-ab-100.html

[11] ttps://www.welt.de/vermischtes/article176846099/Kroatien-Polizei-schiesst-auf-Kleinbus-mit-illegalen-Migranten.html

[12] "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-10-01. Retrieved 2009-10-22.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[AFMMAR16-10-13] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e AirForces Monthly. Stamford, Lincolnshire, England: Key Publishing Ltd. March 2016. p. 10.

[obris.org-14] Jump up to: ^a ^b https://obris.org/hrvatska/kupuju-se-helikopteri-za-civilnu-zastitu/

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