The Commission for Work on Complaints recently concluded its four-year mandate. On Thursday, it proudly reported that it had successfully addressed and resolved all the 631 complaints it had received from the general public regarding the police’s work. The Commission further noted that the majority of these complaints were related to the police’s conduct in traffic, their methods during criminal investigations, and their handling of public order violations.
In 2020, at the commencement of its mandate, the Commission had inherited 538 unresolved complaints from the Ministry of the Interior, which had been left over from the previous period. Some of these complaints had been pending resolution since 2013. Throughout its four-year mandate, spanning from 2020 to 2024, the Commission held a total of 42 sessions. During these sessions, it effectively tackled and resolved all 631 complaints about the police’s work. This information was confirmed in a press release signed by Teo Giljević, the President of the Commission for Work on Complaints.
The Commission for Work on Complaints found that in 27.9 percent of the resolved complaints, the allegations made by the complainants were either fully or partially substantiated. Specifically, the complaints were fully substantiated in 89 cases, accounting for 14.1 percent, while they were partially substantiated in 87 cases, representing 13.8 percent. In contrast, 56.7 percent of the complaints, amounting to 358 cases, were deemed baseless by the Commission.
In nine cases, equating to 4.6 percent, it was determined that the complainant’s allegations could not be confirmed. In 34 cases, or 5.3 percent, the Commission found that it lacked the jurisdiction to rule on the complaint. Furthermore, the procedure was suspended in 35 cases, which accounted for 5.5 percent, due to the unfortunate demise of the complainant.
Upon reviewing the Commission’s annual reports, it was evident that the majority of the complaints were related to the conduct of police officers in traffic, their methods during criminal investigations, and their handling of public order disturbances. Other common complaints included improper behavior towards citizens, the use of excessive force, and police’s handling of domestic violence cases.
Further details about the Complaints Commission are available on the Ministry of the Interior’s official website.
It is noteworthy that civilian oversight of police work in Croatia was first introduced in late 2012, with the establishment of a three-member Commission for Complaints within the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The Commission commenced operations in early 2013 and, despite facing some challenges, continued its work until the end of March 2015.
After a hiatus of more than five years, civilian oversight of police work was reinstated on February 28, 2020, with the reestablishment of the Commission. On the same day, the Croatian Parliament appointed nine members to the Commission. The Commission, functioning as an independent body for civilian oversight, began its work on May 20 of the same year.
