Police Functions in the Context of Crime Prevention and Enforcement. Summary of the Doctoral Thesis

Abstract

The role and significance of the police activity within the regulatory relations of the criminal proceedings is invaluable. In the context of development of the independent Republic of Latvia, the police activity is not being assessed unambiguously. Considering the changes caused by the restoration of the independence, the analyses of the problem in the level of daily practice is unable to provide its adequate awareness, which determined the necessity to carry out a more diligent study on the methodological and practical content of the functions of the Police of Latvia in the context of combating and preventing of crime. One the one side, the general situation is characterized by the insufficiently implemented police reforms, on the other side – discontentment of a particular part of society with the police activity. The public claims that the police is one of “the weakest” links in the institution system of legal defence. There are no objective researches that would either confirm or deny such statements. However, it does not change the fact that the police have the major role in combating of crime in our country. The transformation of the judicial system significantly changed all the aspects of the social life, including crime and its combating methods. Crime is either commonly social or legal phenomenon, therefore combating of crime is one of the most significant functions of the state, and the police take an essential role in the implementation of this function. The scientific investigation of this function requires a more diligent research on the interaction of the state, police and crime, comprising the political and judicial aspects. The social and changing nature of crime in the context of transformation processes determined the necessity to explore the social aspects of crime and its developing tendencies. The study on the interaction methodological fundaments among the state, police and crime, gradually outlined the new doctrine formation of the Police of Latvia, the development peculiarities, and the unresolved theoretical and practical problems of the police activity in combating of crime during the transformation process. The layout of the doctoral thesis deals with an objective analysis of the police practice from the point of view of the legal doctrine; revealing the practical content of the particular police functions and their implementation methods. Overall, the research identifies the police problems and their solution opportunities in combating of crime either in methodological or methodical and practical level.