NBP. Nauka, bezbednosti, policija

Exploration of the Fitness of Law Enforcement Candidates across Different Ethnicities

2025-12-04T10:25:36+01:00

Law enforcement agencies often hire diverse candidates reflective of their community. Candidates should possess good fitness to complete academy; however, ethnicity/sociocultural norms could influence fitness. This study investigated fitness differences between law enforcement candidates of different ethnicities. Retrospective analysis was conducted on data from 2041 candidates (1659 males, 382 females) from a US law enforcement agency. During the hiring process, candidates completed: 60-s push-ups; 60-s sit-ups; 75-yard pursuit run (75PR); 60-s arm ergometer revolutions; and 2.4-km run. Candidates self-reported their ethnicity as one of the following: Asian, Black, Filipino/Pacific Islander, Hispanic, Indigenous, Non-Specified (candidate did not disclose ethnicity, ethnicity not represented in provided options), and White. A univariate analysis, with sex as a covariate, determined between-group differences (p<0.05). Effect sizes (d) were also derived for pairwise comparisons. White candidates completed fewer push-ups than Non-Specified candidates (p=0.036, d=0.28). For the 75PR, Black and Non-Specified candidates were faster than = Asian and Hispanic candidates (p≤0.024, d=0.43-0.53); White candidates were faster compared to Hispanic candidates (p<0.001, d=0.27). Black candidates completed the 2.4-km run slower than the Hispanic, Non-Specified, and White candidates (p≤0.042, d=0.22-0.43). Ethnicity alone does not determine one’s aptitude as a law enforcement officer. However, the data did suggest that certain ethnic groups exhibited select fitness differences. Personnel should understand sociocultural norms that could influence candidate fitness. This study provides further evidence for ability-based training during academy and the need for a broad fitness battery to assess different characteristics that measure the wide range of physical traits essential for performing occupational tasks.

Attitudes of Police Officers on the Implementation of Body Worn Cameras in the Police of Serbia

2025-12-04T10:25:36+01:00

Police organizations in the United States were among the first to implement body-worn cameras more than a decade ago. Shortly thereafter, law enforcement agencies across Europe also started to adopted body-worn cameras as part of their operational practices. These devices have been widely regarded as effective tools for addressing specific challenges in policing and improving overall police performance. In line with global trends in modernizing policing practices, the Serbian Police launched a pilot project for the implementation of body-worn cameras in September 2023. Prior to the initiation of this pilot phase, a research study was conducted to examine the attitudes and perceptions of police officers toward body-worn cameras. The findings of this study are intended to provide valuable insights for planning and decision-making related to the implementation process.

Criminal Behavior Patterns of a Serial Robbery Perpetrator: A Case Study

2025-12-04T10:25:36+01:00

This paper examines a series of 24 robberies committed by a single offender, using data obtained from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, specifically the Police Directorate of the City of Belgrade. Through qualitative analysis of the offender’s criminal history and modus operandi, as well as frequency analysis and temporal-spatial distribution, the study provides a comprehensive insight into patterns of criminal behavior. The findings reveal distinct preferences regarding the time of offense (evening hours between 7 PM and 11 PM) and specific months (February and April), as well as geographical clusters of activity concentrated within certain Belgrade municipalities and streets. The analysis of the modus operandi highlights a consistent use of both planned and opportunistic strategies aimed at minimizing risk and maximizing gain. The results contribute to a deeper understanding of serial criminal behavior patterns, offering both theoretical and practical frameworks for the development of targeted preventive and operational strategies in policing practice.

Security Matters: Predictors of Self-Rated Prison Climate in Serbian Prisons

2025-12-04T10:25:37+01:00

Background: The prison climate significantly impacts prisoners’ quality of life and rehabilitation outcomes. This cross-sectional study aimed to identify which security-related dimensions predict prisoners’ evaluations of overall prison climate in the largest Serbian correctional institutions. Methods: We administered the Measuring the Quality of Prison Life (MQPL) survey to 543 (86% males) prisoners in four correctional facilities: Sremska Mitrovica, Niš, Požarevac–Zabela, and Požarevac. Most participants were aged 31–40, were serving sentences of 3 to 10 years under a closed regime, and nearly half had committed a violent offence or received disciplinary measures. We conducted hierarchical regression analyses to examine the predictive value of four MQPL dimensions (Policing and Security, Prisoner Safety, Prisoner Adaptation, and Drugs and Exploitation) on overall climate ratings. Results: Regime type significantly predicted overall climate ratings in Step 1 (β = .28), with semi-open regimes receiving more positive ratings. When MQPL subscales were added in Step 2, the explained variance increased from 8% to 28%. The predictive strength of regime type decreased (β = .12). Prisoner Safety (β = .28) and Policing and Security (β = .26) were the strongest predictors, while Prisoner Adaptation and Drugs and Exploitation were not significantly associated with overall ratings. Conclusions: While the structural regime type is important, prisoners’ evaluations of life in custody are primarily influenced by their perceptions of safety and adequate staff supervision. Improving institutional safety through fair and consistent supervision may have a greater impact on prison climate than regime classification alone.

Keywords: prison climate, prison security, prisoner safety, staff supervision.

System of Financing of Local Self-Government in the Republika Srpska: Challenges and Contradictions

2025-12-04T10:25:37+01:00

The purpose of the work is to analyse the system of financing of local self-government in the Republika Srpska. The realization of the local self-government depends, among other things, on the financial autonomy of the units of local self-government. Financial autonomy is directly interconnected with the possibility of units of local self-government to exercise their competencies. The authors analyse the legal framework of the local self-government and the budgetary system of the Republika Srpska to understand the contradictions, deficiencies, and possible solutions for improvement of the system of financing of the local self-government.

One of the main conclusions is that the constitutional provisions on local self-government are so general and poor that they enable the legislator to prescribe any system of local self-government as well as to increase or decrease the financial autonomy of the local communities. Another conclusion is that the units of local self-government are to a considerable extent under the direct or indirect control of the central authorities in two main ways. Firstly, the National Assembly can prescribe by law that some new taxes belong to the local communities or that some existing taxes cease to be their financial resource. Secondly, considerable part of local revenues are taxes which originally belong to the Republika Srpska and which it shares with the local communities according to legally prescribed percentages. One can conclude that legal guarantees of the financial autonomy of the local communities are quite uncertain and under almost total control of the central authorities.

Status of Greenland in the Constitutional and Political System of Denmark: To Be or Not to Be a Sovereign Country?

2025-12-04T10:25:37+01:00

The article analyses the legal, political, economic and geostrategic aspects of Greenland’s status in the Kingdom of Denmark. After the introductory remarks, there is a brief presentation of the theoretical concept of territorial autonomy, because Greenland is usually considered to be an autonomous territory. It is followed by an overview of the evolution of the status of Greenland in the Kingdom of Denmark. The central part of the paper is the analyses of the legal framework of the current status of Greenland, guaranteed by the Act on Greenland Self-Government of 2009, with particular reference to the system of government, competences, foreign policy and the possibility of gaining independence from Denmark. Next chapter contains the data about political parties in Greenland and recent political dynamics, with special reference to the March 2025 elections, which were marked by the annexation threat by the US President Donald Trump. The concluding remarks summarize the results of the research, especially the legal, political, economic and geostrategic aspects related to the eventual declaration of independence of Greenland.

Armed Conflict as a Tool of Politics: Terrorism, Guerilla or Partisan Warfare

2025-12-04T10:25:38+01:00

The research problem of this paper is related to the determination of similarities and differences between terrorism, guerrilla and partisan warfare, on specific examples that are processed through case studies. The main goal is to determine the correlation between political victory and armed victory in armed political conflicts. The main result is a scientific explanation of the often confusing relation between combat casualties on the one hand and the political outcomes of armed conflict on the other. The conclusion drawn from the research results tells us how decision-makers should assemble teams to combat threats to national security.