\tPolice are trusted by 58% of citizens in the Western Balkans region, but the number of those who think this institution cannot be relied upon is still considerably high, it was concluded at the discussion organized by Belgrade Centre for Security Policy (BCSP) on 1 September 2016 at the Media Center in Belgrade.<\/p>\n
\tSomewhat more than half of the Serbian citizens, 54% of them which is an increase of 2% when compared to the previous year, said they trust the police, whereas 44% think the opposite. However, despite the increase in the level of trust, a high percentage still believes the corruption is spread within the police.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cAccording to the research results, 72% of respondents believe that corruption is widespread in the police. Moreover, the results show that citizens think that the influence of politics on the police is great and that the way of entering the force is most frequently through friend or family connections\u201d BCSP\u2019s researcher Aurelija Djan pointed out.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cIt is necessary that police, prosecution, and judiciary continue with reforms more decidedly and restore the citizens\u2019 trust that the corruption can be reduced\u201d, underlines Djan.<\/p>\n
\t{image2}The citizens still do not perceive the police as their service, but rather as an instrument of politicians.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cPolice authorities should be concerned over the fact that 76% of citizens think that politics exerts influence over the operational work of the law enforcement agencies. It is necessary for the Ministry of Interior to face the urgent problem of high perception of corruption in the police. It is necessary that police, prosecution, and judiciary continue with reforms more decidedly and restore the citizens\u2019 trust that the corruption can be reduced. Systemic solutions are needed, not attractive arrests,\u201d Djan pointed out.<\/p>\n
\tIn citizens\u2019 views, traffic and border police are the most corrupt, whereas the special police units are perceived as least corrupt, followed closely by the administrative divisions of police.<\/p>\n
\tLegal researcher Sofija Mandi\u0107 from BCSP stated that the research was conducted not only in Serbia but also in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro and Macedonia.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cCitizens of Serbia trust their police the least (54%) followed by Albania (56%). In Kosovo, 58% trust the police and the same percentage applies to Macedonia. In Bosnia and Herzegovina police are trusted by 60% of respondents, whereas Montenegro boasts with the highest level of trust at 62%,\u201d Mandic pointed out.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cThe highest perception of police corruption in regions is in Serbia\u201d, highlights Mandi\u0107.<\/p>\n
\t{image3}The results have shown that the situation across the region is very similar when it comes to the attitudes towards male and female police officers and the citizens\u2019 perceptions of them.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cPolicewoman is beautiful, charming, well mannered, cultured, whereas only one third thinks she is fit for the job. It is of great concern that the citizens, 11% of them, define policeman as corrupt,\u201d Mandic concluded.<\/p>\n
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