Serbia’s citizens recognize positive impact of police reforms, OSCE/Interior Ministry opinion poll shows

BELGRADE, 26 January 2012 – Citizens’ views on Serbia’s police have been getting steadily more positive over the past four years, according to the results of a survey presented today in Belgrade by the OSCE Mission to Serbia and the Interior Ministry.
The latest findings suggest that corruption is perceived to be the biggest law-enforcement problem in Serbia, both at the national and local level, with drug abuse coming second. Those surveyed recognized significant improvement in the area of fighting organized crime.
The research also shows that citizens particularly appreciate progress in the protection of public safety and security (54% think it has improved). However, only 19% of respondents believe that the police are efficient in combating and preventing economic crime.
“These results indicate that citizens recognize the efforts invested so far in police reform. At the same time, they expect the police to continue enhancing their service to the public,” said the Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, Ambassador Dimitrios Kypreos.
“It is clear that citizens expect a police service that is close to them and which listens to their concerns, especially at local level. They want to have a say in defining police priorities and they welcome prevention work.”
Interior Minister Ivica Dacic added: "We are glad to learn that public trust towards the police has increased over the last four years. For us, this in an indication of the effectiveness of reforms and we will continue with this process.”
The non-governmental organization CeSID conducted this latest round of the survey, which has been commissioned by the OSCE Mission and the Interior Ministry annually since 2008.