The Belgrade town police in the period of the establishment of the constitutionalists' government

Abstract

Prince Mihailo Obrenovic took over the administration of the country in the significantly altered the constitutional situation, created by the adoption of the Constitution of 1838 and the departure of Serbian Prince Milos 1839. Constitution ensured the supremacy of the State Council as an oligarchic body of the prince in the adoption of new legislation expanded and contrary to the constitution. Gradual narrowing and even abolishing competences of prince in the legislative and executive branches Constitutionalists are aimed to ensure the constitutionally established order. One of the measures taken to this aim was the adoption of regulations by which the Belgrade police under the control of Constitutionalist Party. The Belgrade police which in the time of Miloš rule was subordinated directly to the prince, by the Decree of 1840 came under the jurisdiction of the competent ministry. The contents of the this Decree that remained in Serbia in force throughout the nineteenth century shows how wide was the scope of its work. Specifically, the Board took care of law and order, personal safety or property of citizens, conducted surveillance of suspicious persons, travelers, foreigners and idles, worried about traffic safety and the safety of roads, alleys, and cobblestone bridge, followed the proper operation of the innkeepers, butchers and traders worried about neatness squares and product prices, participated in the settlement of disputes between creditors and debtors, secured and numbered the property of deceased persons and fallen into bankruptcy, suppress immorality, watch the correctness water supply, public fountains and street lighting, directing the development of settlements, undertook measures to protect against fire, suppressing the fights, riots and rebellions, took care of the health of citizens and public hygiene, issued an order on line and order in the town, enforce court decisions, took care of the prisoners, carried a list of public and private property at the request of his superiors authorities , state revenues collected from the population, participated in the division of the borough plots for raising houses in the area of Batal mosque, in Sava-waving, Palilula, Terazije, past ponds Venice, and finally led to a variety of correspondence - submitted reports to the competent organs of the state administration and consisted of a number of proposals from the circle of their activity. On the other hand, the Decree on the duties of the administration of the City of Belgrade in 1840 must be seen as part of a comprehensive legislative activities Constitutionalist aimed at establishing a highly branched and durable state organization. As part of the whole legal regulations governing the then ruling political elites govern executive, Regulation confirms the conclusion that the Constitutionalist have achieved a lot in terms of formal legislate lofty police power over the people, but failed to sufficiently develop the system control apparatus of executive power. In addition to subjective, there are objective factors that limited Constitutionalist efforts in this direction. Ideas of modern civil state objectively could not be quickly accepted in the still traditional-patriarchal Serbian society.

U radu se analizira sadržina propisa o radu beogradske policije iz 1840. godine u okviru društvenih i političkih prilika u Kneževini Srbiji na početku ustavobraniteljske vladavine. Knez Mihailo Obrenović preuzeo je upravu zemljom u bitno izmenjenoj ustavnoj situaciji, stvorenoj donošenjem Ustava 1838. i odlaskom iz Srbije kneza Miloša 1839. godine. Ustavom obezbeđena prevlast Državnog saveta kao oligarhijskog tela nad knezom u praksi je određenim uredbama proširena i protivno ustavu. Pokušaj kneza u takvoj situaciji da odbrani svoja ustavna ovlašćenja u zakonodavnoj i izvršnoj vlasti i uspostavi ravnotežu u odnosima sa Savetom nije uspeo. O tome svedoči i donošenje propisa kojim beogradska policija, u Miloševo vreme podređena neposredno knezu, dolazi pod nadležnost resornog ministarstva. S druge strane, Uredba o dužnostima uprave varoši Beograda iz 1840. deo je široke zakonodavne aktivnosti ustavobranitelja usmerene na uspostavljanje razgranatije i trajnije državne organizacije. Primenom istorijskog i sociološkog metoda, kao i metoda analize i sinteze, indukcije i dedukcije, autori objašnjavaju motivaciju za izdavanje ovog propisa čija je sadržina bila presudno determinisana interesima tadašnje političke elite u Srbiji.