Law Enforcement Services Research Articles

Europol cooperation in Hungarian law enforcement

Aim: The aim of the article is to present the practical aspects of Europol’s role in Hungarian law enforcement. Methodology: We have collected knowledge about the operation of Europol, its services and support of law enforcement by studying the available EU and Hungarian regulations, as well as performing the former management tasks of Europol Hungarian Liaison Bureau, and practical implementation of the tasks of the crime coordinator assisting domestic procedures. Findings: Europol’s law enforcement services provide Hungarian law enforcement agencies with opportunities that cannot be provided by other agencies. In addition to supporting specific investigations, the institutional system also provides IT, strategic and financial support to countries. Value: The study provides operational, practical insights into the possibilities of cooperation with Europol, which will allow the staff of the criminal and judicial authorities to have a deeper insight into the more effective detection and investigation, as well as answers on the individual services and their future, also interpreted in the context of the readers.

Indonesian National Policy of Criminal Law in Enforcing Law Against Illegal Logging of Conservation Forest Timber

Abstract Crime in the forestry sector in the form of illegal felling of trees creates problems that are quite complicated to overcome. Tree felling in Indonesia is one of the cases most frequently handled by the Environmental and Forestry Law Enforcement Service. Illegal logging leads to deforestation and a decrease in the size of state forests. This article aims to discuss law enforcement against illegal logging crimes and how national laws can reduce the occurrence of these crimes. This research uses a normative juridical approach, namely a study of statutory regulations as primary data supported by secondary data using a literature review. The findings of this research are that in law enforcement efforts to respond to these crimes, the Indonesian Government has implemented regulatory provisions that have been stated firmly in the Prevention and Combating of Forest Destruction Law (2013), which have comprehensively provided opportunities for regional governments through the distribution of central government authority, as well as the involvement of the community and legal agencies or corporation that has a permit to manage forest products in an effort to prevent and eradicate illegal logging crimes, imposing consequences on wrongdoers through incarceration, criminal fines, and administrative penalties. However, the legal policies in this law have not effectively reduced the occurrence of crime because other regulations still contain policies that open up opportunities for illegal logging. Therefore, synchronization between regulations and laws related to forestry issues is required. Keywords: criminal sanctions; Illegal logging; law enforcement.

Profiling Practices in the Context of Anti-Terrorism Prevention Strategies: Acceptable or Controversial Anticipatory Measures

In the face of the constant threat and severity of terrorist acts that continue to claim an increasing number of victims, the international community is incessantly exposed to such dangers. Anticipating certain early interventions conducted by security and law enforcement services in the European Union member states, such as profiling practices, has become essential for identifying individuals on the path to radicalization or violent extremism.

Prehospital Care for Persons Experiencing Homelessness: A Cross-Sectional Survey of the Challenges, Experiences, and Perspectives of Operational EMS Agency Medical Directors

Objective Persons experiencing homelessness (PEH) are among the most vulnerable populations and experience significant health disparities. Nationally, PEH utilize Emergency Medical Services (EMS) at disproportionately higher rates than their housed peers. Developing optimal strategies to care for PEH has become critically important. However, limited data exists on best practices, challenges, and experiences of providing care to PEH. The objective of this study was to describe the experiences, challenges and perspectives of operational EMS agency medical directors in Los Angeles (LA) County as they confront the homelessness crisis. Methods We performed a cross-sectional survey of 9-1-1 operational EMS agency medical directors in LA County, which has one of the largest populations of PEH nationally. Twenty-nine 9-1-1 operational EMS agencies operate in LA County. The link to an anonymous, web-based survey examining documentation, training, resources, operational impact, and care challenges was emailed to medical directors with three reminders during the study period (4/19/2023-9/15/2023). Results Three quarters (75.9%; 22/29) of operational EMS agencies responded to the survey, with all questions answered in 69% (20/29) of surveys. Of these, 68.2% (15/22) of agencies document housing status and 75% (15/20) agreed or strongly agreed that homelessness presents operational challenges. No operational EMS agency reported adequate EMS clinician training on homelessness. Operational EMS agencies most commonly utilized domestic violence resources (43%, 9/21), social services (38%, 8/21), and law enforcement (38%, 8/21) services to assist PEH. Referrals were limited by accessibility (86%, 18/21), time (52%, 11/21), lack of awareness (52% 11/21) and lack of mandates (52%, 11/21). All operational EMS agencies agreed or strongly agreed that mental health and substance use disorders are major issues for PEH. The most common daily challenges reported were mental health (55%, 11/20), substance use (55%, 11/20), and patient resistance (35%, 7/20). Conclusion In LA County, EMS agencies experience important operational and clinical challenges in caring for PEH, with limited resources, minimal training, and high rates of substance use disorders and mental health comorbidities. Further prehospital research is essential to standardize documentation of housing status, to identify areas for intervention, increase linkage to services, and define best practices.

Directions of International Cooperation of Law Enforcement Agencies in the Fight against the Legalization of Criminal Proceeds

The article is devoted to the analysis of international legal acts defining the areas of cooperation of law enforcement services of the countries of the world community in the fight against the legalization of criminal proceeds . Special attention is paid to the UN conventions containing relevant legal norms and recommendations, regulating the mechanisms of detection, seizure, confiscation of criminal proceeds that have become the object of legalization (laundering) . The article also discusses a number of aspects of interstate law enforcement cooperation in connection with the prosecution of perpetrates and the specifics of the procedure for their extradition . In conclusion, an assessment of the degree of effectiveness of international cooperation of law enforcement services in solving these complex tasks is given

Administrative and legal mechanism of public service provision in Ukraine

Administrative and legal mechanism of public service provision in Ukraine

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The author examines the prospects of creating military police in Ukraine. The differentiation of the functions of the military police from the law enforcement functions of other formations and the military law enforcement service has been conducted. The draft law on the establishment of the military police is analyzed. The author examines regulatory legal acts and provides proposals for amending them in the context of the creation of the military police. It is emphasized that the military police should become a powerful formation for combating crime in the security and defence sector, as well as for preventing disciplinary and administrative offences committed by military personnel. The international experience of military police activities has been presented. It is noted that the activities of the military police must comply with NATO standards. It is determined that the most appropriate way is to create military police within the structure of a military formation with law enforcement functions � the National Guard of Ukraine � in order to comply with the principle of independence and impartiality, as well as taking into account the experience of NATO member states.

Legal Status and Problems of Exercising the Rights and Obligations of the Educational Process Subjects

Introduction: Nowadays, the globalization processes and the growth of trade and economic competition associated with them pose new challenges for states. Science and education traditionally underlie any country's economic progress. Meanwhile, the state is called upon to satisfy society's educational needs to achieve its development's strategic goals. Objective: The research discusses problems of exercising the rights and obligations of the subjects carrying out their activities in the educational environment. By general and special research methods, the theoretical and empirical material is analyzed and generalized. The research outcome is revelation of tendencies of developing the individual rights in the educational environment and a prospect of the further improvement of the laws in the sphere of education. Problems of regulating the educational activities are discussed in the context of debates held by various authors about the form and content of the phenomenon under research. According to the research results, conclusions are made that in the sphere of education a lot of important social relations are regulated by extralegal social regulators. There is a need for improvement of a legal status of subjects of the educational process and of legal groundwork for the educational activities by means of developing the promising areas of legal regulation of the educational activities. Method: During the research, the main legal acts in the sphere of education were analyzed. These acts include the Constitution, the Law “On Education”, the Law “On Status of the Teacher, the Labor Code. These are the main legislative acts regulating the relations between subjects of the educational process. Other legal acts were also considered, which, in a sense, deal with the sphere of education. This is the Code “On People’s Health and Health Care System”, and the following laws: “On Social and Medical-Pedagogical Correctional Support for Children with Special Educational Needs”, “On Culture”, “On Physical Education and Sports”, “On Military Service and Status of Servicemen”, “On Law Enforcement Service”, “On Special Government Agencies” and other legal acts. The research used the general scientific methods - dialectics and axoilogy, general scientific methods - analysis, synthesis, comparison, a predictive method, and private methods of legal research. Results: As a result of analyzing various view points and opinions, the following theoretical results were obtained. The research showed the basic groups of subjects, among which the mutual rights and obligations are supposed to be built. The groups under consideration are characterized by the primary signs that are driven by their functional rights and obligations. Conclusion: The research substantiates a necessity to improve the legal relations in the educational environment, discusses the contradictions driven by an insufficient level of legal education and upbringing. By researching the theoretical sources, importance of further improvement of a legal status of teachers, students and pupils, and other subjects of the educational process is discussed.

Characteristics of Tooth Damage by a Carious Process Among Military Personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Introduction. The specific conditions of life and combat activity of the military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine affect the course of pathological processes of the dentition, require appropriate methods of prevention and treatment.
 The aim of the research was to analyze the assessment of the intensity of the carious process among the military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
 Methods. To conduct the study, a survey of 348 military personnel of the Ternopil zonal department of the Military Law Enforcement Service was conducted, who underwent a clinical examination in order to identify damage to the teeth by a carious process. The intensity of caries was determined according to the CFE index. Statistical processing of the data obtained during the study was performed using licensed statistical analysis package Microsoft Excel.
 Results. In military personnel aged 20-25, 26-30, 31-35, the CFE index corresponds to a low level of intensity of the carious process. In the age groups of 36-40, 41-45, there is an increase in the level of the CFE indicator. In general, in groups, the value of the CFE index varies from (8.46±1.24) in the age group of 36-40 years to (12.0±2.10) in the age group of 41-45 years, which corresponds to the average level of intensity of the carious process.
 Conclusions. Indicators of the intensity of the carious process correspond to the average level and tend to increase in military personnel of all age groups.
 
 

International Law Enforcement Observer XI.

Aim: The presentation of foreign literature on law enforcement is a basic task of Rendészeti Figyelő. This time, however, we would like to provide students of Law Enforcement Doctoral School with direct methodological assistance in order to help them to draw from foreign language sources as effectively as possible when developing their research topics and writing their dissertations. With this commitment, the reviews of Árpád Budavári and Zsolt Lippai are given space. Both have chosen valuable foreign sources for their doctoral thesis topics.Methodology: Among the methodological innovations in the world scientific literature, this Figyelő offers fresh ideas in two areas. Gergely Hlavacska draws attention to the following: "Drug policy (drug control) ... is shifting away from traditional criminal justice solutions towards harm reduction. This is reflected in the increasing number of diversionary schemes coordinated by the police as an alternative to criminalisation." Drug policy is seen as part of a law enforcement strategy, in which the decisive factor is the choice of the political forces that have gained power in government between pro-strength and pro-aid regimes. Hlavacska's review outlines a pattern in which a smart response to crime listens to the opinions of police professionals. The liquidation of illegal drug market bases is one of the most difficult areas, where really big successes are rare. The criminologists of the fight against drugs know that failures against distribution networks are not mitigated by the exposure of consumers. Police culture has plenty of experience of how justice often penalises those who are victims rather than perpetrators of drug crime. The second methodological lesson emerges in the work of Ákos Erdélyi, who points out that the militarisation of policing is not exclusively a subject of research in police or defence studies. "The process of militarisation has, by its very nature, in the vast majority of cases been examined from some police science or defence policy perspective; the authors of this study, however, are representatives of psychology..." The researchers arrived at these findings through extensive use of well-designed questionnaires.Findings: In drug strategies, the curative (medicalising) tendencies can be strengthened where police experience is matched by sufficient professional authority, which can only be put to good use by the democratic functioning of political power. The military or civilian nature of law enforcement personnel can provoke controversial reactions from the public: "The results show that the public tends to have negative attitudes towards officers wearing certain militarised attire, including in terms of approachability, confidence and morality. At the same time, public perception is that these officers are stronger, more confident and more prepared for threatening behaviour/dangerous situations." Tamás Skorka gives an example of war communication, reporting on a study that presents the inhuman world of Russian aggression against Ukraine.Value: The studies show that law enforcement authorities involved in maintaining public order and safeguarding public security require an internal and multidisciplinary assessment of their activities, which can significantly improve the professional quality of law enforcement services and enhance their social acceptance.

National Security Risks of Religious Extremism

In the present study the author examines how and why religious extremism can be linked to radical trends in Islam. What solutions should the national security and law enforcement services of developed countries seek and find for these religious extremist trends. Their goal is to ensure the safety of their own citizens, to detect in time the circle of persons who may commit an assassination attempt, and to prevent attempts to commit terrorist acts. The study also presents what solutions are available for dealing with and suppressing religious extremism from a security policy perspective.

Law enforcement agencies in the system of subjects of human rights protection and defence

Law enforcement agencies are a separate type of public authorities whose main task is to protect and defend the rights and freedoms of citizens through the implementation of preventive, criminal procedural, administrative and jurisdictional, and operational and investigative functions. The list of law enforcement agencies of Ukraine includes: The Security Service of Ukraine, the National Police of Ukraine, the State Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau; the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, the Military Law Enforcement Service, the National Guard of Ukraine, the State Penitentiary Service; the State Forest Resources Agency of Ukraine, the State Fisheries Agency, etc. It is proved that it is inexpedient to include into law enforcement agencies the state bodies which have control and supervisory or service functions, or which enforce court decisions or carry out professional activities in the human rights sphere (lawyers, the Human Rights Ombudsman, etc.). In order to unify legislative and scientific approaches to determine the characteristics and list of law enforcement agencies, it is concluded that it is necessary to adopt a separate Law of Ukraine "On Law Enforcement Agencies", as well as to make further amendments to the normative acts regulating the legal status of the relevant state bodies.

ЗАПРОВАДЖЕННЯ ІНСТИТУТУ РОЗСЛІДУВАННЯ ВІЙСЬКОВИХ КРИМІНАЛЬНИХ ПРАВОПОРУШЕНЬ ДЕРЖАВНИМ БЮРО РОЗСЛІДУВАНЬ ТА МАЙБУТНЬОЮ ВІЙСЬКОВОЮ ПОЛІЦІЄЮ

At all stages of Ukraine’s development, the system of investigation of criminal offenses was one of the attributes of ensuring the rule of law in the state. Among this, the system of investigations of military criminal offenses in the Armed Forces of Ukraine (hereinafter – the AF of Ukraine) is not an exception. It should be noted that there is an urgent need to reform such a major military law enforcement agency as the Military Law Enforcement Service of the AF of Ukraine, which does not meet modern NATO standards, the member of which Ukraine plans to become in the nearest future, into a new Military Police that will investigate military criminal offenses together with the State Bureau of Investigations. To this date, in connection with the possibility of creating a Military Police in Ukraine we should: adopt amendments to the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which provide for the classification of certain crimes under Articles 402, 403, 405, 406, 407, 408, 409, etc., to criminal offenses; to determine the powers of the Military Police to conduct a pre-trial investigation in the form of investigation of criminal offenses committed by servicemen, civil servants of military formations, and to leave the powers to investigate war crimes and crimes in the military sphere (the latter include various encroachments on the military-industrial complex) for the State Bureau of Investigations; to refer to the jurisdiction of the Military Police certain components of criminal offenses, in addition to Article 422 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, committed by servicemen, sergeants and junior officers, and civil servants of military formations, whose positions belong to “B” category. Key words: State Bureau of Investigation, Military Police, Military Law Enforcement Service of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, military criminal offenses, NATO, military criminal justice.

Role and importance of disciplinary responsibility in the criminal procedural activities of employees of internal affairs bodies

Currently, disciplinary responsibility plays an important role in the activities of employees of internal affairs bodies. The essence of disciplinary responsibility consists in the application by the employer (manager) to the employee (employee) of penalties in connection with the commission of a disciplinary offense by him. When using the term disciplinary responsibility, one gets an idea of its wider application in the labor relations of the civil service, rather than in law enforcement. However, this is not quite true. In this connection, the authors propose to consider this type of responsibility in the field of law enforcement service, namely, by the example of a structural subdivision of district police commissioners in the implementation of criminal procedural activities. The authors also proposed legislative changes, providing for a list of mitigating and aggravating circumstances in a special regulatory legal act regulating official activity in the internal affairs bodies, adding a separate legal norm.

Differences between the service in the national police and military service of law and order

By combining the dialectical and systemic structural method, the purpose of the article was to determine the peculiarities in the differences between the service in the National Police of Ukraine and the Military Public Order Service. As for their practical significance, there are three main types of service: civilian, militarized and specialized. It is shown that the service of the National Police of Ukraine, like the Military Public Order Service, is a militarized state service, but the Military Public Order Service is purely military and the service of the National Police of Ukraine is "paramilitary"; although both institutions perform relatively similar law enforcement functions and tasks. The research assessed the international experience of police and military institutions. It is concluded that, among the ways to improve the current administrative and legal support for the regulation of social relations in the sphere of law enforcement service and, order in the army, in the territories where war hostilities are actively developing, the institute of civilian service should be realized on the issue of differentiation of types of service, namely: the division into civilian and militarized.

Was a 3D-printed firearm discharged? Study of traces produced by the use of six fully 3D-printed firearms

Since the blueprints of the Liberator were published and successfully tested, countless new designs for said 3D-printed firearms and 3D-printed firearm components have been created and made publicly available. These new 3D-printed firearms, which are praised by their designers as ever more reliable, can be found on the Internet with little effort. Press reports have shown that various models of 3D-printed firearms have already been confiscated by law enforcement services around the world. So far, forensic studies have addressed this set of problems relatively little, whereby for the most part only the Liberator has been examined in detail and three other designs were only included a few times. The rapid pace of this development poses new challenges for forensic investigations and unveils new spheres of investigation regarding 3D-printed firearms. This research initiative aims to determine whether the results from previous studies on Liberators, are also reproducible and observable when using other models of 3D-printed firearms. In this respect six fully 3D-printed firearms – PM422 Songbird, PM522 Washbear, TREVOR, TESSA, Marvel Revolver and Grizzly – were produced on a material extrusion type Prusa i3 MK3S using PLA as the material. Test firings of these 3D-printed firearms have shown that they are indeed functional, but that, depending on the model, they suffer different levels of damage when fired. However, they were all rendered inoperative after one discharge and could not be used for further discharges unless the broken pieces were replaced. As in other studies, the firing process and the resulting ruptures on the 3D-printed firearm, projected polymer parts and fragments of different sizes and in different quantities into the immediate environment. The parts could be physically matched, allowing the reconstruction and identification of the 3D-printed firearms. Elements of ammunition also showed traces of melted polymer on the surface and cartridge cases bore tears or swellings.

Role of Criminal Profilers in Crisis Situations

Although the first true criminal psychological profile was created less than 70 years ago, and the first unit whose task was to help solve challenging and complicated crimes by analyzing psychological aspects was created about 50 years ago, today we cannot imagine the work of any law enforcement service without the significant contribution of psychological profilers. On the other hand, the number and type of security threats have grown exponentially in the same period, and although it is not possible to react to one part of those threats on time and prevent them, for the other part of those threats there is enough space and time that by engaging profilers, and in certain crisis situations, such as hostage crises, be it terrorist attacks, bank robberies, or other situations in which the perpetrators of such acts take hostages, by engaging a specific subtype of profilers – the negotiators, increase the chances for a peaceful resolution of the crisis situation and prevention of loss of human lives, which is of paramount interest in humane societies. The aim of this paper is to investigate the role of profiler-negotiator in crisis situations with a criminal background, using a hypothetical-deductive model and methods of analysis of primary and secondary sources, as well as qualitative, quantitative, comparative analysis, with the starting hypothesis that using techniques and methods of psychological profiling and negotiations in crisis situations with a criminal basis and background, the probability of a positive outcome, peaceful resolution of the crisis situation and damage control drastically increases

Material and Social Support for Government and Municipal Employees

Social and material security of civil servants of the Kyrgyz Republic is provided for by Chapter 7 of the Basic Law as follows. Civil service is professional activity of the Kyrgyz Republic citizens as government bodies. Determination of the conditions of material and social support for government and municipal employees. Research materials and methods: the law of the Kyrgyz Republic on government and municipal employees. Research results: the civil service includes the civil service, military service, law enforcement service and the diplomatic service. Conclusions: a unified system of salary payment of civil servants is determined in accordance with the Kyrgyz Republic Law “On the maximum staffing level and on the conditions for remuneration of labor of government and municipal employees of the Kyrgyz Republic”.

Implementation of the law enforcement function of the state by the prosecutor’s office: a mechanism for ensuring constitutional security

It is indicated that over the past 10 years, the issue of ensuring the security of the state has become particularly relevant for domestic legal science, primarily because during this period the foreign policy conditions of our state’s existence have become significantly more complicated, which has led to internal problems (the attack of the Russian Federation on the territory of independent Ukraine). Thus, in the modern socio-economic and political conditions of the functioning of our state, the problems of ensuring its security become particularly acute. Article 17 of the Constitution of Ukraine states that the provision of state security and the protection of the state border of Ukraine are entrusted to the relevant military formations and law enforcement agencies of the state, the organization and procedure of which are determined by law. Therefore, ensuring the security of the state is regulated at the legislative level and is carried out by specially authorized entities. Thus, from the point of view of constitutional law, it is important to study the status of the prosecutor’s office in interaction with other state authorities, however, from the point of view of the theory of constitutional security, we turn to the most important tasks of maintaining domestic stability, constitutional security, and observing the foundations of the constitutional system of Ukraine.
 It has been determined that the fact that the study of the conceptual and legal foundations of the state law enforcement service in our country is aimed at understanding it as an object of management, determining its essence and structure, as well as substantiating the requirements for the future is indisputable.
 The authors come to the conclusion that, speaking about the provision and implementation of the law enforcement function of the state, one should agree with the opinion of V. Volynets, that as such - that is, in the most general aspect - is inherent to almost all state authorities without exception, regardless of their affiliation to one or another branch state power. At the same time, in our opinion, among a number of state bodies that exist in any country, there are only a few for which the implementation of the law enforcement function is the basis and core of their activity, which are the prosecutor’s offices.

The effects of hearing protection devices on spatial awareness in complex listening environments.

Hearing protection devices (HPDs) remain the first line of defense against hazardous noise exposure and noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). Despite the increased awareness of NIHL as a major occupational health hazard, implementation of effective hearing protection interventions remains challenging in at-risk occupational groups including those in public safety that provide fire, emergency medical, or law enforcement services. A reduction of situational awareness has been reported as a primary barrier to including HPDs as routine personal protective equipment. This study examined the effects of hearing protection and simulated NIHL on spatial awareness in ten normal hearing subjects. In a sound-attenuating booth and using a head-orientation tracker, speech intelligibility and localization accuracy were collected from these subjects under multiple listening conditions. Results demonstrate that the use of HPDs disrupts spatial hearing as expected, specifically localization performance and monitoring of speech signals. There was a significant interaction between hemifield and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), with speech intelligibility significantly affected when signals were presented from behind at reduced SNR. Results also suggest greater spatial hearing disruption using over-the-ear HPDs when compared to the removal of high frequency cues typically associated with NIHL through low-pass filtering. These results are consistent with reduced situational awareness as a self-reported barrier to routine HPD use, and was evidenced in our study by decreased ability to make accurate decisions about source location in a controlled dual-task localization experiment.