Policing Post-Communist Societies

Description

Eastern European countries have been involved in a complex transition towards more democratic forms of government. Since the demise of communism, the building up of an independent judiciary and a general reorientation of the police role within society have been key-issues.br br On the basis of three country studies in Russia, Lithuania and Mongolia, this book analyses the present state of policing in a variety of post-communist societies in terms of police-public violence, democratic policing, the rule of law and human rights. It is also complemented by recent comparable and previously unpublished police data for Romania, Bulgaria and Poland.br br Those studies have been carried out amongst the rank-and-file of the uniform branch in Lithuania and Russia which were commissioned by the Soros Open Society Foundation. Theybr were specifically concerning views and experiences concerning police-public violence and current policing problems in general. A third study was carried in Mongolia amongst criminal investigators, and sought to explore violent investigative practices.br br This book seeks to combine a thorough theoretical analysis with unique empirical data. It analyses the different problems of transition of post-communist societies towards more democratic forms of government with unique data from both outside and inside the police, offeringbr br ul typequot;discquot; li comparable insights into the level of police-public violence in six post-communist societiesbr li li in-depth insight into the various national policing issuesbr li li information concerning the effectiveness of internal and external accountability mechanismsbr li li comparative analyses of current policing practicesbr li li analysis of existing opportunities and impediments for the development of democratic policing in accordance with human rights standards in such societiesbr li ul nbsp;