PARLIAMENTARY BENCHES SUPPORT BILL ON POLICE

ZAGREB, Oct 27 (Hina) - The new bill on police includes a number of regulations which are better than the current ones, it will adjust the police service to European standards and make the police forces professional and depoliticised, parliamentary benches at the House of Representatives agreed on Friday, expressing support for the bill on police. The bill, to which deputies also had a number of objections, will be voted on in the afternoon part of today's session. Along with a law on police, one should also adopt a law on the Interior Ministry, a law on classified data, and a law on offences as soon as possible, said Ivan Jarnjak on behalf of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) bench. He explained that the proposed bill on police put most regulations from the Law on the Interior Ministry out of force. Viktor Broz of the Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS) said the bill did not provide for the possibility of parliamentary control of police work. Broz also believes that, along with the final draft, the Sabor should also be sent rule books which the interior minister would use to subsequently clarify some provisions of the bill. The Democratic Centre (DC) believes the bill should define police powers and cases when they are exercised, as well as eliminate the possibility for the police to prejudge the guilt of suspects while informing the public, said Mate Granic. The head of the police service should not be appointed by the interior minister, but selected in a public competition, he said. Vlado Jukic of the Croatian Party of Rights/Croatian Christian Democratic Union (HSP/HKDU) bench said it was not clear from the bill whether police officers could be politically active and make public statements outside the ministry. He also estimated that democratic control of police work should be defined so as to enable the parliamentary Committee on Internal Affairs and National Security to control it. Valter Drandic of the Istrian Democratic Assembly (IDS) asked that the bill also include the possibility for units of local self- government to organise municipal police, which would have powers in municipal services and be financed from municipal budgets. Interior Minister Sime Lucin said the establishment of municipal police should happen in two years' time, after a new concept of decentralisation of Croatia becomes a reality. Lucin believes it is not possible to organise municipal police at present because towns do not have the same funds. It is not necessary to state in the bill that the parliament controls the police because that has already been legally regulated, Lucin said. Depoliticising the police does not mean forbidding police officers to be politically active but rather forbid political activity in the Interior Ministry, he added. The bill envisages significant economies in the Ministry, he said, adding this was why the bill should be adopted together with the state budget for next year. Some deputies believed the depolitisation of the police was jeopardised by the provision according to which county assemblies are required to give their opinion of superintendents before their appointment. Lucin explained that superintendents would no longer be politicians but police officers. The lower house will continue its session this afternoon. (hina) rml