Perception of drug addiction and narcotics based crime in the general population in Serbia and among students of the Academy of Criminalistics and Police Studies

Abstract

It is obvious that drug addiction and drug crime are the phenomena of the past, the present and the future. Any serious intentions to fight these phenomena assume serious research in order to observe the possible directions for future action of a wide range of entities involved in the fight against these social evils. In this sense, this paper presents the data from surveys completed in early 2015, on a sample of 413 respondents, related to the perception of threat of drug addiction and drug-crime to the society in Serbia. The authors of the research dealt with the respondents' views regarding the causes of drug abuse, the factors that may affect its reduction, as well as the causes of drug trafficking, the current trends and important factors for its control, with special reference to the police as an active participant in this process. The studied sample included, among others, 82 students of the Academy of Criminalistics and Police Studies based in Belgrade, in order to compare possible differences in attitudes within the general population and those who have been chosen to become police officers in the future. They used descriptive statistics and method of correlation. The research results showed that the students of the ACPS can be allocated as a separate entity, given that their views differ from the views of others respondents in the general sample, as well as the other respondents of the younger population. Specifically, the students of the ACPS have a more positive attitude when it comes to the perception of threat of drug addiction and the drug trafficking to the Serbian society, with more expressed critical attitude towards the educational system and the media, and followed by higher expectations from family in general in order to combat this social evils. Also, they are characterized by slightly favoring the role of police in fighting drug trafficking, with more accented perceptions of drug trafficking growth in the previous period of time compared to other respondents.

Sasvim je izvesno da narkomanija i narko-kriminal predstavljaju fenomene prošlosti, sadašnjosti i budućnosti. Svaka ozbiljna namera suprotstavljanja ovim pojavama pretpostavlja njihovo ozbiljno istraživanje, u cilju sagledavanja mogućih pravaca daljeg delovanja širokog kruga subjekata koji su uključeni u borbu protiv ovih društvenih zala. U tom smislu, u radu se iznose podaci iz istraživanja dovršenog početkom 2015. godine na uzorku od 413 ispitanika, vezanog za percepciju ugroženosti društva u Srbiji narkomanijom i narko-kriminalom. Autor se u istraživanju bavio stavovima ispitanika vezanim za uzroke narkomanije, faktore koji mogu uticati na njeno smanjenje, kao i uzroka narko-kriminala, aktuelnih tendencija i bitnih faktora njegovog suzbijanja, s posebnim osvrtom na policiju kao aktivnog učesnika tog procesa. Istraživani uzorak činila su, između ostalih, i 82 studenta Kriminalističko-policijske akademije sa sedištem u Beogradu, kako bi se uporedile eventualne različitosti u stavovima u okviru opšte populacije i onih koji su se opredelili za policijski poziv. Rezultati istraživanja govore da se studenti KPA mogu izdvojiti kao poseban entitet, s obzirom da se njihovi stavovi razlikuju od stavova ispitanika iz opšteg uzorka, kao i ispitanika iz mlađe populacije. Naime, ti ispitanici imaju pozitivniji stav kada je u pitanju percepcija ugroženosti narkomanijom i narko-kriminalom, uz više izražen kritički odnos prema obrazovnom sistemu i medijima i veća očekivanja od porodice na planu sprečavanja ovog društvenog zla. Takođe, odlikuje ih blago favorizovanje uloge policije u borbi protiv narko-kriminala, uz izraženiju percepciju rasta narko-kriminala u prethodnom periodu u odnosu na ostale ispitanike.