Cooperation between police and public prosecutor: Law and practice in Serbia

Abstract

Considering conceptual changes in by now not-so-new Criminal Procedure Code, the authors analyze relations between the prosecutor and police from the angle of law provisions but also in their implementation in practice. The paper is divided in two main parts. After introductory remarks, the authors consider a number of theoretical issues related to fair trial in the context of balancing roles, competences and powers of various procedural subjects with focus on relations and cooperation between police and the public prosecutor. The second part of the paper includes presentation of the results arising from empirical research dedicated to implementation of the novelties in the Serbian Criminal Procedure Code related to cooperation between prosecutors and the police.

Zakonodavac je, sada ne tako novim, Zakonikom o krivičnom postupku predvideo više rešenja kojima se menja položaj procesnih subjekata u odnosu na rešenja kakva su bila predviđena s početka ovog veka. Prevashodno, glavno obeležje novog zakonskog teksta iz ove oblasti jeste drastično menjanje položaja javnog tužioca uvođenjem tužilačke istrage. Time je i položaj policije unekoliko promenjen, te je bilo neophodno sprovesti praktično istraživanje o odnosima ova dva procesna subjekta za prve tri godine primene Zakonika o krivičnom postupku. Stoga, nakon teorijskog uvodnog dela, glavni deo rada se odnosi na rezultate istraživanja sprovedenog među pripadnicima policije.