Police and Security, Vol. 34 No. 1, 2025.
Preliminary communication
https://doi.org/10.59245/ps.34.1.3
Victimological and Phenomenological Characteristics of Child Suicide: Educational Police Programs Based on Research Results
Davorka Martinjak
; Ministarstvo unutarnjih poslova Republike Hrvatske
Jadranka Herceg
; Odjel vojnih studija, Hrvatsko vojno učilište „Dr. Franjo Tuđman“, Republika Hrvatska
Katarina Dretvić
; Veleučilište kriminalistike i javne sigurnosti, Ministarstvo unutarnjih poslova Republike Hrvatske
Abstract
The purpose of the research is to determine the suicides and suicide attempts of children and persons aged up to 18 committed in the area of the Zagreb Police Administration in the period from 2010 to 2025. The ultimate purpose is to use established characteristics, especially factors risks, to create an educational program for police officers that increases their competencies and skills in dealing with children who are at risk of suicide. A Questionnaire with 34 variables was created for this research on victimological and phenomenological characteristics of cases of suicide and suicide attempts of children committed in the area of the Zagreb Police Administration, based on the inspection of police records subjects. This paper presents the preliminary research results that are still ongoing because the research period refers to the years 2010-2025. By publishing the preliminary results, I wanted to show how the scope of the occurrence of suicide in children and the results related to victimological and phenomenological characteristics require the urgent intervention of professional services in the field of expert education and prevention of this phenomenon. The results of the complete research will be published upon completion. Preliminarily analysed indicators related to cases that occurred from 2010 to 2019 indicate that it is in the territory of the Police Administration. During the said period in Zagreb, there were 21 suicides and 53 attempted suicides by children. Considering the gender, the results show that suicides are committed almost equally by both sexes. The most common method of execution is hanging (57.1%), and suicides most often occur between the ages of 16 and 18 (66.7%). Suicide attempts are more prevalent among female children (58.5%), who mostly do so by poisoning (47.2%) and cutting veins (22.6%), and suicide attempts most often occur in those aged 16 to 18 (52.8%). Along with the preliminary results of the research, the article provides an overview of knowledge related to etiological and phenomenological explanations of child suicides, risk factors, the role of the police and the importance of education of police officers.
victimological and phenomenological characteristics, child suicides, education police officers, risk factors
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
328706
URI
Publication date:
31.3.2025.
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