engleski

Missing Persons in Croatia: Incidence, Characteristics, and Police Effectiveness

The intention of this chapter is to make a contribution to the overall body of knowledge on the missing persons phenomenon. This study is a part of a larger study conducted for the first time in the Republic of Croatia. It focuses on the incidence, socio-demographic, psychological and psychiatric profiles of missing persons, as well as on the reporting and searching for missing persons relating to the police performance procedure, and on the relationships among all these factors. The sample used in the study included 1724 cases of missing persons reported to the police between 2010 and 2012, representing 34.2 % of the total number of reported missing persons in Croatia. Although missing persons in Croatia are far better educated than the general population, poor social circumstances interacting with mental problems are found to lie behind the circumstances, motives and reasons of disappearance. Typically in Croatia the missing person report is given, in the majority of cases, by family members, followed by institutions such as reform institutions for children and juveniles and psychiatric hospitals. This study has helped to establish the profile of missing persons in Croatia. Indicators of police effectiveness in Croatia show a relatively prompt response by the police, adequacy of the spectre of measures and actions undertaken, and a satisfactory degree of partnership and cooperation with the community.

Missing persons ; Croatia ; Socio-demographic status ; Psychological and psychiatric status ; Reporting ; Searching

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