Physical abilities of police officers as prerequisite for suppressing violence at sporting events in the Republic of Serbia

Abstract

Violence at sporting events is seen as a particularly serious problem in the Republic of Serbia. In response to it, the police are entrusted with performing specific security tasks related to security of public assembly, focusing on maintaining public order or reinstating it in the case of serious disturbances. In order to ensure that police officers are capable of performing these assignments lawfully and efficiently, they should be properly prepared, which is achieved by maximizing the compatibility of their training (what they should know) and their working profiles (what they should do). The preparation and implementation of specific security tasks can be represented as an equilateral triangle, each side representing one element of the educational and working profile. The sides would thus represent: 1) physical capabilities of police officers, 2) their equipment, and 3) the engagement tactics. The paper focuses on the problem of physical fitness of police officers as a prerequisite for the prevention of violence at sporting events in the Republic of Serbia, as can be inferred from the title.

Nasilje na sportskim događajima se smatra naročito velikim problemom u Republici Srbiji. Kao odgovor na to, policijske snage imaju zadatak da obave određene bezbedonosne zadatke pre javnih okupljanja, koja se pre svega tiču održavanja javnog reda u slučajevima velikih nemira. Da bi se osiguralo da su policijske snage sposobne da izvrše ovakve zadatke na zakonit i efikasan način, one bi trebalo da budu dobro pripremljene, što se postiže povećanjem njihove utreniranosti (onoga što bi oni trebalo da znaju) i njihovih radnih profila (ono što bi oni trebalo da rade). Priprema i primena posebnih bezbedonosnih zadataka može se prikazati kao jednakostrani trougao, pri čemu svaka strana prikazuje po jedan element obrazovnog i radnog profila. Tako bi strane prikazivale: 1) fizičke sposobnosti policajaca, 2) njihovu opremu i 3) taktike angažovanja. Ovaj rad bavi se problemom fizičke pripremljenosti policajaca kao preduslov za sprečavanje nasilja na sportskim događajima u Republici Srbiji, kao što se i može videti iz naslova.