Review article
https://doi.org/10.51650/ezrvs.17.3-4.7
Police dogs in the use of police powers
Željko Mršić
orcid.org/0000-0001-7662-2074
; Policijska akademija Ministarstva unutarnjih poslova RH, Veleučilište kriminalistike i javne sigurnosti, Zagreb, Hrvatska
*
Frane Colić
orcid.org/0009-0009-8595-7314
; Policijska akademija Ministarstva unutarnjih poslova RH, Centar za obuku vodiča i dresuru službenih pasa, Zagreb, Hrvatska
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
The work presents the use of police dogs and their application in the police force of the Republic of Croatia. A brief overview is given of the historical use of police dogs worldwide and in the Republic of Croatia. A "police dog" is not just a dog; it is a special means of force, and the right for the police to use it as such is a special police authority. However, its role is not limited to that, considering it is a living being. Many police officers perceive it as a "colleague" with whom they emotionally bond, setting it apart from other "means" of force. The police are authorized to use official dogs to perform specific tasks within their jurisdiction. Thus, they are authorized to use dogs as the primary means in the use of force or as an auxiliary means during the inspection of persons, objects, vehicles, entry and inspection of premises and spaces, and during the performance of tasks related to state border control. The work lists the breeds of official dogs currently used in the Croatian police, as well as their classification based on the purposes permitted by positive regulations concerning police powers. Finally, statistical data on the number of official dogs in the Croatian police and the number of their activities from 2015 to 2020 are presented, along with the cost of training a handler and their dog.
Keywords
police powers; police dogs; means of force; purposes of police dogs.
Hrčak ID:
312149
URI
Publication date:
27.12.2023.
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