Law enforcement in the Republic of Macedonia
Encyclopedia
Law enforcement in the Republic of Macedonia
is the responsibility of the Police of the Republic of Macedonia, a force that has been the subject of a number of recent reforms regarding both the Albania
n insurgency, and possible violations of human rights
, with NATO officials stating that the force was "not really up to European standards"
The Macedonian Police headquarters is located in Skopje
at the Ministry of Internal Affairs
, and it also maintains an air base in nearby Idrizovo. Taiwan
, Canada
and Italy
have all contributed Bell Helicopter Textron
helicopters to the police force's Macedonian Police Aviation Unit in cooperation with the Macedonian Air Force
to help combat insurgency in Northern Macedonia.
The law enforcement agencies of Macedonia are regulated by the Macedonian Constitution of 1991, the Law on Internal Affairs of 1995, the Criminal Procedure Code of 1997 and the Draft Law on Changes and Additions to the Criminal Procedure Code. With police actions and behaviour controlled by the Criminal Procedure Code, and the Law on Internal Affairs controlling the use of firearms by the police force. On July 1, 2003 the Law on the Police Academy was enacted, creating the Republic of Macedonia premiere police academy to train civil and border police officers.
ended, and have been receiving weapons from surrendering Albanian insurgents. Violent attacks, however, still occur as in 2001 three officers were killed by Albanian gunmen.
The Macedonian Police were also subject to scrutiny during Albanian riots on 9 July 1997 when protesters collected in the western town of Gostivar. Over 200 hundred were wounded and three killed (two shot, one beaten to death)
in a resulting clash with police riot squads, and the Humans Rights Watch investigated allegations of police brutality.
These events underlined a continuing friction between the Macedonian Police force and Albanians living in the Republic of Macedonia
. The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights
reported that police abuse of suspects, particularly during initial arrest and detention, and police harassment of ethnic minorities is ongoing.
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
is the responsibility of the Police of the Republic of Macedonia, a force that has been the subject of a number of recent reforms regarding both the Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
n insurgency, and possible violations of human rights
Human rights in the Republic of Macedonia
The Republic of Macedonia is a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights and the U.N. Geneva Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and Convention against Torture, and the Macedonian Constitution guarantees basic human rights to all citizens....
, with NATO officials stating that the force was "not really up to European standards"
The Macedonian Police headquarters is located in Skopje
Skopje
Skopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre...
at the Ministry of Internal Affairs
Republic of Macedonia Ministry of Internal Affairs
Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Macedonia is a government ministry of the Republic of Macedonia. The current minister is Gordana Jankulovska. Assigned to the ministry are a Public Security Bureau and a Security and Counterintelligence Administration. The ministry has existed since...
, and it also maintains an air base in nearby Idrizovo. Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
have all contributed Bell Helicopter Textron
Bell Helicopter Textron
Bell Helicopter is an American rotorcraft manufacturer headquartered in Hurst, Texas, near Fort Worth. A division of Textron, Bell manufactures military helicopter and tiltrotor products in and around Fort Worth, as well as in Amarillo, Texas, and commercial rotorcraft products in Mirabel, Quebec,...
helicopters to the police force's Macedonian Police Aviation Unit in cooperation with the Macedonian Air Force
Military of the Republic of Macedonia
The Army of the Republic of Macedonia is the name of the unified armed forces of the Republic of Macedonia. The Macedonian military is a defence force consisting of an army ; an air force ; and a professional military unit, the Macedonian Special Forces .- Objectives :The national defence...
to help combat insurgency in Northern Macedonia.
The law enforcement agencies of Macedonia are regulated by the Macedonian Constitution of 1991, the Law on Internal Affairs of 1995, the Criminal Procedure Code of 1997 and the Draft Law on Changes and Additions to the Criminal Procedure Code. With police actions and behaviour controlled by the Criminal Procedure Code, and the Law on Internal Affairs controlling the use of firearms by the police force. On July 1, 2003 the Law on the Police Academy was enacted, creating the Republic of Macedonia premiere police academy to train civil and border police officers.
The ethnic Albanian population
The Police of the Republic of Macedonia work closely with the NATO peacekeepers in patrolling areas with high numbers of ethnic Albanians ever since the 2001 Macedonia conflict2001 Macedonia conflict
The insurgency in the Republic of Macedonia was an armed conflict which began when the ethnic Albanian National Liberation Army militant group attacked the security forces of the Republic of Macedonia at the beginning of January 2001...
ended, and have been receiving weapons from surrendering Albanian insurgents. Violent attacks, however, still occur as in 2001 three officers were killed by Albanian gunmen.
The Macedonian Police were also subject to scrutiny during Albanian riots on 9 July 1997 when protesters collected in the western town of Gostivar. Over 200 hundred were wounded and three killed (two shot, one beaten to death)
in a resulting clash with police riot squads, and the Humans Rights Watch investigated allegations of police brutality.
These events underlined a continuing friction between the Macedonian Police force and Albanians living in the Republic of Macedonia
Albanians in the Republic of Macedonia
Albanians are the largest ethnic minority in the Republic of Macedonia. Of the 2,022,547 citizens of Macedonia, 509,083, or 25%, are Albanian according to the latest national census in 2002. The Albanian minority lives mostly in the north-western part of the country...
. The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights
International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights
The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights was a self-governing group of non-governmental, not-for-profit organizations that act to protect human rights throughout Europe, North America and Central Asia...
reported that police abuse of suspects, particularly during initial arrest and detention, and police harassment of ethnic minorities is ongoing.