ABSTRACT
This paper examines the factors affecting police officer willingness to adhere to a code of silence among the police in Croatia and Serbia. The paper explores the factors predicting police codes of silence in two countries formed after the dissolution of the former Yugoslavia in the early 1990s that pursued separate development paths. A police integrity questionnaire recorded the views of 1,007 police officers in Croatia and 1,843 police officers in Serbia. Multivariate modelling was used to analyse the predictors of officers’ perceptions of whether they would report the violation in different scenarios. Decades since the break-up of the former Yugoslavia, the results indicate that many of the factors predicting the code of silence remain similar across police officers in the two countries.
Notes
1. In 1999–2000, Serbia was listed under “Yugoslavia.” In 2003–2005, it was listed under “Serbia & Montenegro.” From 2006, it is listed as “Serbia.”
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Robert Peacock
Robert P. Peacock, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice in the Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs at Florida International University. His research focuses on reimagining law enforcement and public security in transitional democracies. Most recently he has served as Strategic Advisor to US Department of Justice-funded reform programs in post-Soviet countries.
Marko Prpić
Marko Prpić is a High-School Teacher of Croatian Language and Literature and a Doctoral Student at the Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Zagreb, Croatia. He holds a Master’s degree in Education of Croatology and Education of Sociology from the University of Zagreb. His research focuses on formal and informal social control, prevention of deviance in school and police, police integrity, organizational justice, and procedural justice. His recent work includes articles in the Journal of Criminal Justice and Security and Journal of Criminal Justice and Security, as well as a book chapter in Kutnjak Ivković, S. and M. Haberfeld (Eds.) Exploring Police Integrity, 2019.
Sanja Kutnjak Ivković
Sanja Kutnjak Ivković is Professor at the School of Criminal Justice, Michigan State University, USA. She holds a doctorate in criminology and a doctorate in law. Dr. Kutnjak Ivković is currently serving as Chair of the American Society of Criminology Division of International Criminology. Dr. Kutnjak Ivković received the 2017 Mueller Award for Distinguished Contributions to International Criminal Justice, Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences International Section. Her research focuses on comparative and international criminology, criminal justice, and law.
Irena Cajner Mraović
Irena Cajner Mraović is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Croatian Studies, University of Zagreb, Croatia, and a Representative at the City Assembly of the City of Zagreb. She graduated from the University of Zagreb and received a Ph.D. in Special Education Sciences. Dr. Cajner Mraović was the Dean of the Police College, an Advisor on Community Policing to the Minister of the Interior, and the Head of the Police Academy. Her research interests include policing, juvenile crime, and crime prevention. She has authored numerous scholarly papers, books, and manuals. Dr. Cajner Mraović has also mentored students who have received international awards for their work.
Vladimir Božović
Vladimir Božović is the Serbian Ambassador to Montenegro. He holds a Ph.D. in security studies from the University of Belgrade, Serbia. Dr. Božović is a lawyer and an expert in the field of security studies. Dr. Božović was Inspector General of the Department of Public Security at the Ministry of Interior of Serbia from 2004 to 2007, and the State Secretary at the Ministry of Interior, in charge of internal control and international cooperation, between 2012 and 2014. He was also appointed Advisor to the President of the Government of the Republic of Serbia in charge of regional cooperation and relation with church and religious communities.