Croatia’s Efforts to Improve Police Ethics and Integrity Face Mixed Results

Introduction

The Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) has welcomed Croatia’s development of a new draft Code of Ethics for Police Officers, but notes that the document still lacks specificity and concrete guidelines for police behavior.

Draft Code of Ethics

The draft code is intended to replace the existing 2012 code, which GRECO deemed insufficient. While it covers some important aspects of integrity, such as conflicts of interest and gifts, it remains a general statement of principles without definitions, guidelines, or examples. Specifically, GRECO has expressed concern that certain areas, including:

• Invitations
• Social media use
• Third-party activities by police officers after leaving the force

are not adequately addressed in the draft code.

Appointment and Promotion Processes

In response to GRECO’s recommendations, Croatia has taken some steps to improve its appointment and promotion processes within the police force. However, the country still faces challenges regarding objectivity and transparency in these processes, particularly with regards to senior police officer appointments.

Representation of Women in the Police Force

Croatian authorities have reported on their efforts to increase the representation of women in the police force, but GRECO notes that this progress is slow and that no comprehensive review has been conducted to identify opportunities for further improvement.

Plans for Improvements

Croatia’s plans to draft a new regulation on the internal organization of the Ministry of the Interior may potentially lead to improvements in appointment and promotion processes. However, GRECO remains skeptical about the effectiveness of these plans without concrete measures being taken to ensure transparency and limit conflicts of interest.

Recommendations

GRECO has called for:

• A study to be conducted on police officer activities after leaving the force
• Rules to be adopted to ensure transparency and limit the risks of conflicts of interest

While Croatia has started collecting preliminary data for such a study, GRECO notes that this effort is still in its early stages.

Conclusion

Overall, while Croatia’s efforts to improve police ethics and integrity are welcome, GRECO concludes that several recommendations remain unimplemented, and more needs to be done to ensure the transparency, accountability, and effectiveness of the country’s law enforcement agencies.