International Law Enforcement Observer IX.

Abstract

Aim: This time, the international overview draws the attention of the readers of Belügyi Szemle to certain studies, which - in addition to providing results in the traditional areas (police endangerment, racism, criminal organisations, violent crime, terrorism, human rights interpretation) - also offer methodological surprises.
Methodology: For scientific curiosity to lead to genuinely new knowledge, a fresh approach to research is needed. For example, the rejection of police vulnerability as a rule of law has traditionally taken as its task the sociological  interpretation of norm-breaking and amoral official behaviour (Dieu, 1995). Less attention has been paid to the features of the law enforcement profession or the roots of the organisational culture that are responsible for the proliferation of malpractice. A review by Ágota Németh gives an insight into the character of the latter. An original perspective emerges in a study on the “fallibility” of the police, reported by Gergely Takács. The specific characteristics of the protection of public safety and the maintenance of public order have been confirmed again: the unexpectedness of the violation, the need for immediate reaction, the autonomy of the intervener (Hug, 1997). These features give room for general empowerment rather than limitation of police power, and at the same time they are a source of error in policing. A methodological innovation is reported by Zsombor Hermann, who illustrates the successful use of network theory by providing insights into British research on criminal organisation models.
Findings: Ákos Erdélyi has turned his attention to research - taking the organisational fragmentation of the fight against terrorism and the sensitive nature of intelligence data into consideration - that seeks to find the answer to how counter-terrorism authorities can strike a delicate balance between sharing intelligence information and securely protecting it. The study reviewed by Tamás Suszter explores the potential of community policing as a solution to get over the racist attitudes in the police forces of the American continent. A typology of violent offenders can be drawn from an approach based on the criminal history of convicts serving their sentences. Sándor Dragon’s review presents such a research. The tightening of criminal sanctions against terrorism can be seen in the French legislation, which also allows for the deprivation of nationality acquired through naturalisation as a supplementary punishment for those convicted of terrorist acts. “Under French law, a person whose loyalty and allegiance are in doubt can lose his or her nationality, but only a naturalised citizen can be deprived of it. An extra safeguard is the requirement of a criminal conviction. Reading this section, it is clear that the negative link between immigration and security is reflected in the tightening of anti terrorism laws.” Barbara Mágó’s article points out the constitutional situation that places the right to citizenship within the sphere of human dignity, which is inviolable and cannot be  restricted by criminal law. For a deeper understanding of the problem, it is undoubtedly necessary to clarify the social science concept of terrorism, as can be found in the domestic literature (Pék, 2022).
Value: The latest foreign products of law enforcement research, in addition to their thematic diversity, testify to the common values of those working in the discipline. All of these works are based on the recognition that law enforcement administration can fulfil its social function with the rigour of the rule of law only if it succeeds in achieving harmony between efficiency and legality. Law enforcement science also has a major responsibility in this endeavour.