![handle is hein.journals/pgsty17 and id is 1 raw text is: Policing & Society, Vol. 17, No. 1, March 2007, pp. 1-20 ] Routledge
1Taylor&FrancCr-p
What the Police are Supposed to Do:
Contrasting Expectations of
Community Policing in Serbia
Barry J. Ryan
Concentrating specifically on policing reform in the Republic of Serbia shortly after the
fall of Slobodan Milosevic's regime, this article focuses on the process of introducing
community policing to a police force equipped and trained to operate in an authoritarian
context. The article aims to define the difficulties encountered by transitional police
organizations and to examine the type of solutions that have been proffered both by the
police and by community leaders and other informed members of the public in Serbia.
Based on findings from parallel qualitative surveys undertaken between August and
November 2002, the article concludes that community policing should be defined in
terms that prioritize public participation as a principle of good governance to be adapted
by the Serbian Ministry of the Interior. The findings ultimately suggest that a form of
progressive political accountability focused on local police policies, requiring devolution of
Ministry power to the local level, is a fundamental prerequisite to a more effective
policing environment in Serbia.
Keywords: Community Policing; Serbia; Public Participation; Legitimacy;
Democratization; Police Reform
Introduction
The decision to use a community policing strategy as a means to institute the
principles of good governance to policing organizations in post-authoritarian or
post-conflict environments has become almost automatic over the last decade of
The position(s) and opinions expressed in this document do not necessarily represent the official position(s) or
policies of the Serbian Ministry of Interior. The author would nevertheless like to thank members of the
Ministry who participated anonymously in the interviews. The researcher would additionally like to
acknowledge the support of the Irish Research Council for Humanities and Social Sciences. Correspondence
to: Barry J. Ryan, Centre for Peace and Development Studies, Foundation Building F1-120, University of
Limerick, Ireland. E-mail: Barry.Ryan@ul.ie
ISSN 1043-9463 (print)/ISSN 1477-2728 (online) © 2007 Taylor & Francis
DOI: 10.1080/10439460601124106](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.journals/pgsty17&div=1&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)
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