{"id":21002,"date":"2018-06-14T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-06-13T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bezbednost.org\/the-police-should-be-where-the-citizens-are\/"},"modified":"2020-07-21T19:28:02","modified_gmt":"2020-07-21T17:28:02","slug":"the-police-should-be-where-the-citizens-are","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bezbednost.org\/en\/the-police-should-be-where-the-citizens-are\/","title":{"rendered":"The Police Should Be Where the Citizens Are"},"content":{"rendered":"

\tGood communication of the police through media and social networks contributes to greater confidence in the police, which means that citizens will inform police officers, and not tabloids when they see a security-threatening situation on the street, it was highlighted at the event dedicated to police communication that Belgrade Centre for Security Policy (BCSP) organized on June 14, 2018 in Belgrade. <\/strong><\/p>\n

\tInsufficient transparency of the police, leaks or placement of information from the investigation and unprofessional tabloid media reporting are three main problems that negatively affect communication between media and police in the region.<\/p>\n

\tThe biggest problem in the region is the leak of information from the police to certain media outlets which is most pronounced in Serbia, said Legal Adviser of the Independent Journalists Association of Serbia\u00a0Marija Vukasovi\u0107.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\t\u201cThe leak of information leads to violation of laws and endangering the outcome of the investigation. In order to solve this problem, it is important that the police internal control bodies checks the situation even when there is just a hint that the leak has occurred and that the responsible persons be sanctioned. Journalists must respect ethical codes, and it is necessary to insist that media that violate the code of ethics cannot apply for public funding,\u201d Vukasovi\u0107 said.<\/strong><\/div>\n

\tJournalist of the Politika daily\u00a0Aleksandar Bojovi\u0107<\/strong>, who has long been following the work of the police in Serbia, and vice-president of the Police Professional Association \u201cDr. Rudolf Ar\u010dibald Rajs\u201d,\u00a0Vladimir D\u017eigurski<\/strong>, agree that the \u201cleakage\u201d of information from the police is very bad.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cA journalist must be fair and objective, and not act as a witness. The journalist cannot criticize one side without calling and asking for a comment. The journalist is not a police officer, nor a judge or a lawyer, but should ask questions in the name of ordinary citizens who do not have the chance to do so,\u201d Bojovi\u0107 stressed.<\/strong>
\t\u00a0<\/div>\n

\tD\u017eigurski added that it is always very difficult to prove \u201cleaks\u201d of information and that it\u2019s questionable where are they coming from – whether the information is \u201cleaked\u201d by the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Justice, the Prosecutor\u2019s Office or the defense attorneys.<\/p>\n

\tAn additional problem in communication between the media and the police is that the Ministry of Interior responds if the media outlet is in favor of the Ministry, and not when the public needs to be informed, Bojovi\u0107 says.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThe police are not open enough in communication with journalists and citizens. Moreover, based on interviews with police officers, I concluded that they have anxiety when talking with reporters because they do not have the approval and are scared for their job. They are much freer before cameras or recorders are turned on and give and recommend interesting information and topics. It stops as soon as we start to talk officially, when they stick to a legal and bureaucratic language,\u201d Bojovi\u0107 emphasized.<\/strong>
\t\u00a0<\/div>\n

\tPolice in the Western Balkans are not sufficiently present on social media, but speakers agreed that they should exploit their expansion.<\/p>\n

\tFor better communication, it is important to accept the recommendation of the British Parliament that institutions should be where citizens are, and citizens are now on social media, said digital media expert\u00a0Marko \u017divkovi\u0107, who authored the analysis “<\/strong>Today and Tomorrow: Social Media and Police Services in the Western Balkans<\/a>“<\/strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\t\u201cPolice in Montenegro and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina do not have any presence on social media, while police in other states in the region generally perceive these channels as traditional media and lack the most important thing, which is two-way communication. The potential for communication and education is great, as 8.5 million of the 12 million Internet users also use Facebook<\/a>,\u201d \u017divkovi\u0107 pointed out.<\/strong>
\t\u00a0<\/div>\n

\tThe Ministry of Interior monitors modern trends on the Internet, said D\u017eigurski.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cInstagram and Facebook are slowly becoming a service for citizens. It\u2019s not just police promotion, but advices for traveling, how to protect yourself from bicycle theft, how to secure apartments in holiday seasons. I consider that after a decade\u2019s silence this start is a great move for the police in Serbia,\u201d D\u017eigurski emphasized.<\/strong>
\t\u00a0<\/div>\n

\t\u00a0<\/p>\n

\tThe event was organized within the framework of the following projects: \u201cSupporting Improvement of Police Communication in the Western Balkans<\/a>\u201d supported by the Geneva Centre for Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF), and \u201cWestern Balkans Pulse for Police Integrity and Trust<\/a>\u201d supported by the European Union (EU) through the program \u201cCivil Society Facility\u201d. The views and opinions said at the event do not represent the views of the DCAF and EU.<\/p>\n

\t\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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