Municipal Warden Services in the Pluralised Policing Environment in Slovenia

Abstract

The internal security system in Slovenia has changed significantly over the last 25 years. Policing is getting more pluralised, and there are organisations, which were not established for the purpose of policing but their tasks, nature of work, and special powers make them "new police forces". If numerous private security firms and private detectives are added to the police, municipal warden services, judicial police and customs services, the present situation of policing in Slovenia can be easily defined as plural. Among the aforementioned public/state/local managed policing-security control organisations, municipal warden services are quite young organisations, with few employees, but more and more influential and present in the everyday lives of citizens since their tasks and powers are broadening. It is yet to be seen whether these organisations will cause a decisive shift toward de-centralisation and de-monopolisation of public policing which would be characterised by the creation of a city police.