Purpose The purpose of the paper is to present the results of research in the region covered by the Murska Sobota Police Directorate based on semi-structured interviews we conducted with community ...policing officers in the rural and urban areas of Pomurje. Design/methodology/approach Community policing is one of the more recent (yet hardly new) ways of ensuring security. It focuses on collaboration between citizens and the police, the joint identification of security issues and resolving them. Not long ago, it was established that policing varies depending on geographical criteria, specifically the urbanisation of the environment since police work in cities is often very narrowly specialised compared to in a rural environment. We were therefore interested in whether the Pomurje region also shows that it is easier to practise community policing in rural areas compared to cities. Findings The research results confirm previous findings; namely, that in urban areas approximately two-thirds of the population does not know the community policing officer, leading to the mutual cooperation between residents and the police being poorer than in rural areas. The conclusion describes ways of improving the established situation facing Pomurje. Research limitations/implications We see the limitations of the study in the peculiarities of the Pomurje region; therefore the results cannot be generalised and applied in areas of other police directorates. Originality/value The survey offers insight into rural and urban policing in the Pomurje region at the same time, focusing on possibilities for improvements.
Namen prispevka: Primarni namen policijskega dela v skupnosti je aktivno sodelovanje s prebivalstvom in posledično boljše zagotavljanje varnosti v lokalni skupnosti. Cilj prispevka je predstaviti ...Policijsko upravo Murska Sobota (PU MS) kot primer dobre prakse policijskega sodelovanja s prebivalci. Metode: V prispevku je z uporabo metode študije primera podrobno analizirano in predstavljeno policijsko delo v skupnosti PU MS na območju Pomurja. Ugotovitve: Pomurska policija je v preteklem desetletju uspešno implementirala model policijskega dela v skupnosti in naredila pomemben korak k varnejši lokalni skupnosti, o čemer priča tudi zadovoljstvo Pomurcev z delom policije (Petek in Eman, 2018). Uspešnemu projektu policijskega dela v skupnosti Nazaj k ljudem so sledili še Akademija detektiva Frančeka v Termah Banovci, projekt Družina v prometu v sodelovanju z osnovnimi šolami, preventivni projekti Pobarvali bomo, Soboški bicikl in Skupaj premagovali ovire za slepe v Mestni občini Murska Sobota (MO Murska Sobota), projekt Hvala, ker ne uporabljate mobilnega telefona ter ne nazadnje tudi usposabljanje policistov za delo z AED in pomoč pri srčnem zastoju. PU MS se lahko pohvali tudi z aktivnim sodelovanjem v dobrodelnih akcijah, med katerimi je najbolj znan letni koncert Orkestra slovenske policije, kjer zbrana sredstva podarijo pomoči potrebnim otrokom v regiji. Poleg aktivnega sodelovanja z lokalno skupnostjo PU MS skrbi tudi za svoje zaposlene, pri čemer najbolj izstopa projekt Promocija zdravja na delovnem mestu, ki je dobil državno priznanje za najboljšo dobro prakso na področju varnosti in zdravja pri delu ter priznanje Agencije EU za zdravo in varno delovno okolje za vse generacije. Praktična uporabnost: PU MS je nedvomno primer dobre prakse policijskega dela v skupnosti, ki lahko služi kot model za druge. Nedvomno pa si mora pomurska policija tudi v prihodnje prizadevati in biti dosegljiva ter vidna ljudem, da bodo tudi ljudje pripravljeni sodelovati z njo. Izvirnost/pomembnost prispevka: Prispevek predstavi prvi primer dobre prakse policijskega dela v skupnosti v slovenskem prostoru, ki je uporabna tako za slovensko policijo kot tudi lokalne skupnosti in druge deležnike na področju zagotavljanja varnosti v lokalni skupnosti.
The paper presents the results of the Pomurje region public opinion poll on the residents' satisfaction with the regional police, policing, execution and performance rates related to particular ...police tasks, and their fear of crime. Further aims of this research were to determine whether or not the residents perceive the rural settings as safer living space than the urban ones. The survey was conducted in autumn 2010 to meet the needs of Murska Sobota police directorate. A questionnaire of the Ministry for internal affairs was used on a random sample stratified for the number of residents under a particular police station jurisdiction within said directorate. The survey was financed by the state. The sample of 500 respondents was chosen randomly. The research was mostly made by phone (300) or by way of door-to-door questionnaire delivery (122 of which were returned). This analysis is based on seven (7) questions: residents' trust in and satisfaction with the regional police and policing, to the performance rates regarding particular police tasks, as well as to the fear of crime. The questions selected were highly reliable (Cronbach alfa = 0,930). According to the results, the residents of Pomurje trust their police (between 60 and 69 percent) and are satisfied with police work (between 56 and 66 percent). Further, they agree the police is less efficient in investigating crime than in carrying out other police tasks, and they testify to a strong feeling of safety. There is no statistically significant difference in the perception of safety between rural and urban residents, and there is no gender difference in their satisfaction with police work. The survey having been conducted among residents of Pomurje, the results validity is also restricted to this region. The pooled sample coincides well with the population in terms of gender structure, but not in terms of education level, age, and place of residence. These findings may be directly applied in managing police work, developing ways and selecting the tasks aimed at providing even more successful and efficient collaboration between the police and the local community, as well as in measuring the residents' satisfaction with the regional police. Hypothesis testing is done by way of relevant statistical tests, and the importance of conducting quality public opinion surveys is emphasized.
