Development of Poland's Police - Coursework Example

Topic: POLICE Brief history of Poland Modern day Poland came into existence because of forums that were held between the founding fathers of the nation and powerful leaders from former USSR, Great Britain, and the USA. Winston Churchill designed the map that was adopted by the country back in 1943 in Terhan, the capital city of Iran. The process of coming up with the map was meant to resolve the continued feud between Russia and Poland. Boundaries were drawn to provide an amicable solution to the dispute. Poland was forced to lose some of its land to Russia while at the same time the country gained some from Germany (Leslie, p.1) the country’s backbone of the economy during the sixteenth century was mainly agriculture that was later hampered by conflicts that destroyed crops. Farmers recovered from their losses and put more effort in farming. Poland struggle for independence suffered serious blows because of the external forces that were interfering with the country’s journey to independence. Due to the disappointment faced on the course of seeking independence, the citizen resulted to the use of chaos to express their outrage (Leslie, pp. 3-4). Development of criminal justice Legal systems during the communism era, the Supreme Court was the most powerful court. Politicians hired Judges. The act of politicians hiring judges led to interference of the justice system because rulings were influenced by them. However, the country ceased to use the system immediately communism was stopped. The legal system has undergone many reforms that have brought sanity in the country’s arm of the government. Unlike, the past, cases are handled by competent judges. Civilians are also included to follow of cases to ensure theirs is fairness in court rulings. Interestingly, the civilians are ordinary people chosen by local councils. The district court and the Supreme Court makeup the court system in the country. District courts mainly deal with civil and criminal cases. Prior to Poland’s independence, the country was governed using the laws of Russia, Germany, and Austria. However, after regaining independence the country introduced its laws. The country adopted a new court structure in 1950 which cut the number of courts from three to two. The authority of the appellate courts was greatly minimized because of incorporation of the newly established structure (Heale, p.33). Size of the country (Population and geography) Poland is a nation situated in the center of Europe, and it is approximately 312,679 square kilometers. The countries population as at 2006 stood at an estimated 38 million. Majority of the citizen reside in urban while minority groups stay in rural areas. The country has 889 towns, 16 provinces, about three hundred and seventy-nine districts and has about 2478 government at the local level. Most of the occupants of the country are rightful citizens by birth are mainly practiced catholic religion. The remaining part of the population consist of the protestant group (European agency, paras.1-2).The countries diameter from north to south is about 876 kilometers while the diameter from west to east is 689 kilometers. It is situated towards the Eastern parts of Germany, North of both the Czech and Slovakia and lies west to both Lithuania and Russia. Poland is endowed with many natural resources including rivers, mountains, and lakes (Princeton, para.2). Crime rate and statistics The country experienced low crime rates in 2011.The backlog of court cases that are pending has been reduced over the years a clear demonstration of an efficient court system. In the year 2011 alone, the polish police were following up 684 cases. The number had decreased from the previous year in which 702 cases were being pursued. Police managed to investigate and conclude about 95% cases of the cases. In 2011, new cases that had been reported amounted to about 11,000 indicating a decrease from the previous year in which about 11,100 new cases were reported. Assault cases reported in 2011 amounted to 14,084 while in 2010 assault cases that had been reported added to about 15,725.Rape cases recorded in 2010 1,567 in 2010 while in 2011 1,498 cases of rape were reported. The polish police managed to complete investigation of 80% of the cases. Cases related to theft of cars in 2011 were about 7,850.they also managed to arrest about 28.9% of the suspects. Majority of the suspects arrested were adults while a less number of the suspects arrested were children (United States Department of States Bureau of Diplomatic Security, para.1). The number of pickpockets in Poland is still high, and the pockets usually target high-ranking US personalities. The pickpockets usually operate from public places where they can easily mug people (United States Department of States Bureau of Diplomatic Security, Para. 4). Comparison between the polish police and the US police The Poland police system has undergone many reforms since the country became independent from the communism rule. They face similar challenges with the US police department. Crimes related drugs, terrorism, illegal immigration, traffic offences remain a common challenge to both law enforcing units (International Association of Chiefs of Police, paras 2-3).Increased terrorism activities especially after the September 11 attack on America arose the need for both police units to introduce a terrorism unit within the police departments to specifically deal with terrorism. The recruitment process in both enforcing is very competitive. They undergo a very rigorous training process to equip the police with the necessary skills required to combat terrorism that has become a worldwide problem (Police Chief Magazine, paras.28-29). Similarities and differences between each system The US police system is made up of 50 federal law enforcement units;49 police departments operate at State level,12,509 at municipal level, a special unit are around 1,721.The major role of the U.S police officer is to provide law and order. They also protect citizens against criminal activities by beefing up securities in both residential areas and public places (Cliff Notes, paras.2-4) .The counterparts in Poland have similar responsibilities. They are mandated to ensure that there is order by making sure that citizen adhere to the laid down laws of the country. Criminal activities are monitored by the police and suspected criminal are arrested at first sight (Interpol, Para.1). Advantages and disadvantages of each system Due to changes in the law, the police department in Poland is currently independent, and the structure of the leadership is clearly defined. However, the police are not allowed to participate in any voting process (Policja, para.4). In the United States of America, police enjoy insurance cover. The cover is crucial because it ensures that families of police officers are compensated in case of sudden death (State, para.9). Major problems and possible solutions The US police department and the polish department both face similar challenges in their line of duty. Drug trafficking that has become a menace globally is a still a challenge. Police are unable to deal with the cartels that run the business because they risk being murdered. Those who dare to confront the cartels end up being bribed and may sometimes lose their lives. The recruitment process is not conducted fairly, and unqualified personnel end up join the units. Those who end up in the enforcement unit through crude methods mostly end up being unethical professionally and may take a bribe. They then give room for criminal gangs to harass innocent civilians. Such cases waters down efforts that have been made in fighting criminal activities in the society. Police risk their lives when they pursue criminal gangs. Criminals nowadays own more sophisticated weapons than those of the police. Illegal possession of firearms presents a major headache to police units, and some fear is going to scenes of crime for fear of their lives (Harrington, paras 1-9). Possible ways of resolving problems police encounter have been suggested before. Police cannot single-handedly curb crime in the society. Every member of the society is called upon to help them on matters relating to security. The concept of community policing is highly recommended as one way of providing police with intelligence required to fight crime. The police also cannot escape blame for the challenges they face. It is important to punish those police who break ethical standards by engaging in illegal activities and conspiring to commit a crime with criminal gangs. Proper reforms need to be carried out in police departments especially on matters relating to the recruitment process. The recruitment process needs to be free and fair and should avoid cases of biases. The training process also needs to be advanced to higher levels to deal with the emerging criminal cases some of which are complex to solve because of lack of evidence. They also need to be equipped with proper weapons to fight crime. Women need to be included in police units. Women are different from men on how they handle cases and sometimes they are rational unlike their male counterparts whom sometimes can become uncontrollable and harass suspects. Sometimes the level of productivity of women could be higher than that of men. Politicians also have a tendency of downplaying issues raised by nongovernmental organizations. They defend police especially when they are involved in extra-judicial killings. Many of the police end up being irresponsible and kill people senselessly. Such behavior cannot be tolerated, and such police officers should be accountable for their actions. Independent policing oversight committees should be set to deal with improper or unprofessional behavior by the police. However, the solutions for police problems do not lie with the police solely. Efforts are required from both the public and other partners. Community members are brought together to make their contribution to bringing meaningful changes to the police department. When co-operation exists between the society and police, it becomes easier to fight crime because criminal elements within the society are easily identified and dealt with in time (Harrington, paras 1-9). Works Cited Cliff notes. The nature of police work.Web.31.10.2014 :< http://www.cliffsnotes.com/more-subjects/criminal-justice/police-function/the-nature-of-police-work> European Agency 2009 http://www.european-agency.org/country-information/poland/national-overview/legal-system Heale, Jay. Poland. New York: Marshall Cavendish, 2005. Print. International Association of Chiefs of Police. Democratic reforms in polish policing. Police Chief Magazine.2006.Web.31.10.2014.. Interpol. Years of International Police Corparation.07.10.1923.Web.31.10.2014. . Leslie, R F. The History of Poland since 1863. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1983. Print. Policja. Police in the Third Republic of Poland (1990–2010).Web.31.10.2014. . Poland. About Poland.Web.31.10.2014 :< https://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/ tmve/wiki100k/docs/Geography_of_Poland.html>. United States Department of States Bureau of Diplomatic Security. Poland 2012 Crime and Safety Report: Warsaw.14.03.2014.Web.31.10.2014. . Read More