As there was a need to modernise the existing code, the police adopted a new Code of Police Ethics in October 2008, which replaced the code of 1992. The code's purpose is to raise the awareness among police officers about the importance of observing ethical principles and strengthening ethical and moral conduct in practice.

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The code will be implemented in practice mainly through the police training system, whose purpose is to train police officers for the professional discharge of their duties. We are faced by the fact that the future requires police officers to be permanently ready to learn as well as capture the existing and create new knowledge.

IMG 6576In basic training in the Police Officers School, where theory and practice are permanently intertwined, police candidates study the subject entitled Social Skills, where they learn about the importance, irreplacability and inalienability of human rights and ethical conduct. Moreover, the lecturers connect police work to ethical conduct, emphasising the significance of respect for human rights, in other subjects as well.

In further training at the Police College the above topics are given even more attention, to ensure that police officers capture the knowledge and understand the essence of ethical police conduct. At this level of training, theory and practice are permanently intertwined as well. The subject Professional Ethics is aimed at acquiring theoretical knowledge and connecting it to practical cases. The students get qualified for correct implementation of all police powers from the viewpoint of the protection of human rights and freedoms. During the learning process they learn to identify elements indicating wrongful acts in the police and to implement measures for their prevention.

The essence of the above teaching content is not only to change the behaviour of police officers but also to reflect on what is right and what is wrong. Through the learning police officers thus start to perceive police ethics as the framework within which police officers are allowed to act both in their professional and private life so that their acts are still permissible, not only legally but also ethically.

The identification of requirements, planning and organisation of further training are the responsibility of the Training Centre of the Police Academy. Training is dictated by the needs identified by the police in investigating constantly emerging new types of crime, particularly organised crime, and related to the changing legislation. Their objective is to transfer new knowledge and skills as well as to develop the ability to adapt to the circumstances and learn about good practice.

Cooperation with external institutions such as the Office of the Human Rights Ombudsman, Amnesty International etc. represents an important segment of the inclusion of ethics into training programmes.

IMG 6575Practical implementation of the code will be, among other, dealt with by heads of police units. A working group has been established to train police officers about applied ethics, integrity and the contents of the Code of Police Ethics in 2009 and in the first half of 2010.

Taking into account the fact that the Code of Police Ethics merely represents a self-regulatory mechanism, ethics must be lived and put into practice on an every day basis, as the society expects and justifiably demands that the police act in an ethical manner.


The Code of Police Ethics has the following new features:

  • it is inspirational in tone, encouraging ethical behaviour in police officers (other acts governing police work are of a regulatory nature)
  • it is written in first person plural, emphasising the feeling of belonging to the organisation and its ethical values,
  • it abolishes the Court of Honour and retains moral accountability,
  • it newly defines the manner of adopting and amending its provisions,
  • it includes a list of values and virtues expressing the mission of the police,
  • it includes articles on enhanced integrity, incorruptibility and power of argument.

The draft of the code was distributed to all police officers for discussion, after which the final version was created and adopted. The new code is shorter and has 14 articles (the old one had 21 articles), two general provisions, nine basic principles and three final provisions.