Problem of Penal Law Protection of the Police Members From Organized Terrorism

Abstract

In theory, terrorism is often defined as a form of criminal activity whose victims are civilians. An yet, reality disproves that point of view since it is police officers who represent the most common objects of the assault of terrorists. In the first place, this refers to the nonselective terrorism, however constables are quite often immediate objects of classical assassinations and they are even more often endangered in terrorist assaults on patrols, police vehicles and stations. Therefore, the protection of police members has diverse and numerous aspects.

The legal - legislative protection of the police members plays a most significant role. As apart of legislative protection, the penal- law protection of police officers is carried out by prescribing, pronouncing and executing criminal and infraction penalties to natural persons who endanger life, physical and moral integrity of police officers, or obstruct them in performing security service, or commit other criminal and infraction offences against officers, has cardinal significance in all contemporary countries. Accordingly, there are some similar forms of the penal-law protection of police officers in certain countries, but as a result of the particular social and legal system and tradition, there are also some differences between them.

Following those theses, the present author analyses forms of the penal-law protection of police members, including legislative protection from terrorism in legislation of FRY and legislations of some foreign countries.