Private Detective Activities in the Republic of Slovenia - (Normative) Development and Future Outlook

Povzetek

The purpose of this paper is to present detective activities in the Republic of Slovenia and to show how it has developed, with an emphasis on law regulation and its evolution. Descriptive and survey methods were used, which assisted us in analysing and presenting detective work and detective activity. In addition, we analysed the content of written sources, reviewed scientific literature and laws, and conducted a comparative analysis of the laws. Detective activity is a subject of internal security and falls into private security practice, and as such, is regulated by law and requires a systemic arrangement as well as effective control. The first law was enacted in 1994, and a new law adopted in 2011 brought changes in the field of activities, while the conditions for the occupation were defined more clearly and precisely. The legislator could, through more flexible legislation, enable a higher quality of services, thus making detective activities more effective. Due to the increasing number of fraud, cheating and other types of criminal offenses in the countries of Western Europe, detectives specialize in a particular work-field, while in Slovenia specialization is not so pronounced, and detectives deal mainly with general information gathering. A detective relies on his experience, knowledge, and ingenuity. The needs of detective activities should be based primarily on future research that actually determines both legal and operational needs of detectives.