Counteracting crime through zero tolerance strategy

Abstract

During last decade of the Twentieth century a big attention of scientifical vocational and general public was engrossed by Zero-tolerance strategy prior owing to their broadly popularize from superintendents of the New York City Police Department after William Bratton had been appointed for Police Commissar in January 1994. Their intention was to reduce crime rate in the New York City through engagement policemen in repression the most minor offences against public order like graffiti, vandalism, drinking on public place etc. They started from assumption that aggressive and authoritative use of repressive powers by policemen toward offenders of minor offences will prevent crimes and offences with heavy consequences. Although there is no doubt that crime in the New York City was declined and that police activity was affected partly on this, decline of crime can not purely impute to zero-tolerance strategy, because other bigger cities also showed decline of crime rate without use that strategy. Except that critics admonishing that zero-tolerance strategy selectively etiquette poor and refuse parts of society, while ignoring crimes of powerful, as well as patrol policemen encouragement to use aggressive tactics (stop and search suspicious persons) can increase risk of police powers abuse and brutality.

Strategija nulte tolerancije (zero-tolerance policing) privukla je tokom poslednje decenije XX veka veliku pažnju naučne, stručne i opšte javnosti prvenstveno zahvaljujući širokom popularisanju od strane rukovodilaca policije grada New York nakon što je William Bratton postavljen na čelo policije januara 1994. godine. Njihova namera bila je da smanje stopu kriminaliteta u gradu angažovanjem pripadnika policije u suzbijanju najsitnijih (minornih) prekršaja protiv javnog reda, kao što su grafiti vandalizam, opijanje na javnom mestu i sl. Pošlo se od pretpostavke da će energična i autoritativna primena represivnih (prinudnih) ovlašćenja od strane pripadnika policije prema učiniocima sitnih prekršaja sprečiti vršenje krivičnih dela i prekršaja sa težim posledicama. Iako nema sumnje da je kriminalitet u New York-u opao i da su aktivnosti policije imale udela u tome, pad kriminaliteta se ipak ne može pripisati isključivo strategiji nulte tolerancije, jer su i drugi veći gradovi u SAD takođe pokazali značajan pad stope kriminaliteta bez korišćenja strategije nulte tolerancije. Pored toga kritičari upozoravaju da se strategijom nulte tolerancije selektivno označavaju siromašni i odbačeni delovi društva, dok se ignorišu zločini moćnih, kao i da ohrabrivanje policajaca u patroli da koriste agresivne taktike postupanja (zaustavljanje i pregled sumnjivih lica) može povećati rizik od prekoračenja ovlašćenja i brutalnosti.