The Parliament Provides Only Basic Oversight of the Police

SKOPJE – Existing oversight mechanisms of the police remain underused in Macedonia, while there are some positive developments within police internal control.

On 13 December 2016 Analytica from Skopje organized a presentation of research finding on police integrity in Macedonia.

Based on the current track record of the work of the Parliament and especially the work of the Committee on Security and Defense, the external oversight of the police is basic.

“The main focus is put on reviewing legislation, while existing oversight mechanisms remain underused. The Ombudsman, on the other hand, faces obstructions from the institutions in fulfilling his mandate and lack of cooperation with the Ministry of Interior and the Public Prosecution”, concluded Magdalena Lembovska from Analytica.

When it comes to internal accountability, there have been some positive developments in terms of structural changes within the police internal control body.

“However, the number of decisions taken in favour of citizens in the cases of excessive use of force remains very low, which undermines public trust in this body”, pointed out Lembovska.

Filip Stojkovski from Analytica presented the main challenges in human resource management and financial management within police.

“Legal dimension of recruitment is well-established and the process is generally transparent. However, the public perception is that the selection of candidates for police employment is generally made through political and personal connections, which undermines the legitimacy of open calls. Some sectors of the Ministry of Interior are not adequately equipped, meaning that they lack either a sufficient number of staff or employees with required skills and knowledge”, explained Stojkovski.

In addition, Stojkovski advocated for greater transparency of the Ministry of Interior’s spending and improving the capacities of the internal audit unit in order to establish sound financial control.

Lembovska and Stojkovski discussed the role of the judiciary, advocating for urgent reforms in the area, as the research established that the judiciary is one of the weakest links in building police integrity.