Law enforcement in Croatia

Law enforcement in Croatia is the responsibility of the Croatian police force, which is under the control of the Ministry of the Interior. In recent years, the force has been undergoing a reform with assistance from international agencies, including the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe since its mission began there on 18 April 1996, with Croatia being admitted to OSCE on March 24 1992.

Police powers
Police officers' powers in order to maintain peace in Croatia, such as the power to stop and search, seize property and use force, are regulated. A police officer in Croatia may only stop and search a person if a court has issued a warrant and it is possible that this person has broken the law or is in possession of items or tools which are considered unlawful.

A police officer is only allowed to use firearms if there is an immediate threat to his own life or the lives of other people, to prevent a crime from being committed for which the minimum prison sentence is five years or more, or to prevent the escape of a prisoner caught committing an offence for which the prison sentence is a maximum of ten years.

Reform
The Ministry of the Interior is attempting to reform the Croatian police in line with European standards, with the aid of the OSCE. Their mission is to enhance the regional police, to co-operate more effectively to combat cross-border organized crime, and to aid this by restructuring the border police. Further goals include continuing with the development of community policing and safeguarding the independence of the Croatian police from any political interference.