Clan Presentation Vuk

CLAN – Slagelse Police, Slagelse, Denmark

by VUC Vestsjælland Syd, Slagelse, DK

CLAN – Continuous Learning for Adults with Needs 134649-LLP-1-2007-1-IT-GRUNDTVIG-GMP Grant Agreement 2007-3569/001-001 This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained there

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Facts about Denmark The police in Denmark, in the Faroe Islands and in Greenland constitute one national force, employed directly by the state. Denmark The area of Denmark covers 43,000 square kilometres, which means that it is the smallest country

in

Scandinavia.

Denmark

has

5.4

million

inhabitants,

who

every summer take pleasure in the fact that most of the country is surrounded by water along 7,300 kilometres of coast, apart from a 68 kilometre long frontier with Germany. Overall

political

decisions

are

taken

at

Christiansborg

Palace

in

Copenhagen,

which houses the Government and the 179 democratically elected members of the Folketing (Danish

Parliament).

At

least

every

four

years,

the

Prime

Minister

must

call

a

general election. Denmark is divided into fi ve geographical regions. It is their responsibility, among other things, that hospitals and the general public health system function optimally. Denmark is, furthermore, divided into 98 municipalities where local decisions are taken regarding for example childcare, schools, elderly care and construction works. Denmark is a member of the European Union (EU), the United Nation (UN) and the defence alliance NATO.

Organisation The police in Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland constitute one national force, employed directly by the state. The Minister for Justice, who is the chief police authority, exercises his powers through the National Commissioner, and the Commissioners of the police districts. There are approximately 11,000 police offi cials in Denmark. They serve with the Danish National Police, in Greenland, in the Faroe Islands and with the 12 police districts that cover the whole country.

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Altogether, there are approximately 14,000 employees in the police service where important functions are carried out by attorneys, administrative personnel and a series of other occupational groups such as clerical offi cers, service staff, academic staff, motor and weapons mechanics, IT personnel and journalists.

In all districts, there is a main police station that provides round-the-clock service and a number of local police stations that serve the citizens of the community in the daytime. Throughout the country, the police participate in successful cooperation with local authorities, schools and associations where much of the crime prevention work is carried out. Reform of the Danish police On 1 January 2007, a reform of the Danish police was initiated. It meant that 54 police districts were transformed into the present 12 districts. The objective was to achieve a more modern police service with sustainable police districts that on their own are able to carry out major investigations and provide large-scale emergency and support services.The reform will also imply over time that there will be more police offi cers in the street, which means that citizens will feel more secure. Finance It is the political parties of the Folketing (Danish Parliament) that negotiate the financial framework of the police and the prosecution service. The most recent agreement

was

concluded

in

2006

and

covers

the

years

2007

–

2010.

Some of the funding has been earmarked for, among other things, a new radio system, new IT equipment, strengthened anti-terrorist efforts, and for implementing the new police reform. The 12 police districts will receive their individual allocations, which the Commissioners are to administer. Consequently, it is the management of the individual district that will assess what should be targeted as special action areas locally.

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The appropriation for the police and the prosecution service totals approximately DKK 7.5 billion annually. Statistics Denmark is in many ways a very safe and secure country to live in. However, as in all other societies, there are some citizens who do not comply with current laws and regulations.They commit burglary, steal cars and bicycles; they are drug traffi ckers or infl ict violence on others. Every year, more than 400,000 criminal offences are reported to the police.Some people also violate the sections of the traffi c legislation and are caught for speed-ing or drunk driving. Approximately 275,000 persons are charged with violating the Road Traffic Act every year. Several times a year the police publish various statistics on crime in Denmark. They are available on the website of the police at www.politi.dk under the menu called “statistik”.

Duties of the Police The duties of the police are to ensure that laws and regulations are complied with and to take the necessary steps to prevent crime. This is achieved among other things by way of regular patrolling and by criminal investigation. The police also administer a number of areas that are subject to authorisation. When thinking of the police, most people see a white car with fl ashing blue lights on the roof and two police officers. And that is the way most citizens encounter the police in various situations: in connection with traffic accidents, when an ambulance is escorted to hospital, and when the police conduct speed checks. Or when a burglar has gone through the cupboards and drawers, and the police arrive to look for fi ngerprints and other evidence, and to calm down those whose home has been burgled. Police duties include a great variety of tasks and cover the whole of society both geographically and socially. The purpose and duties of the police are set out in section 1 of the Act on Police Activities

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"The purpose of the police is to maintain safety, security, peace and order in society. The police shall further this purpose by means of preven-tion, assistance and law enforcement." In brief, one of the most important tasks of the police is to ensure that the legislation adopted by politicians is complied with. In addition, however, the police must also maintain security, peace and order among the citizens to ensure that everybody can move freely and safely everywhere in the country.

However, not every police officer wears a blue shirt and drives a white so-called uniform police car. Many carry out their tasks in plain clothes. It means that they wear their own clothes and look like any other man or woman in society. It has its advantages when special cases are to be investigated, when work has to be under-taken in various criminal environments, or when bars and discos are to be routinely patrolled on a Saturday night. However, police officers always carry their duty weapons and their police badges.

Furthermore, police officers are also involved in crime prevention at schools and youth clubs, as driving test examiners, and as bodyguards to, among others, politicians and members of the

Royal

Family.

Greenland and the Faroe Islands The duties of the police in Greenland and the Faroe Islands are of a similar nature as those of a Danish police district.

Last Modified: 17. august 2007 How to become a Police Officer Everybody may apply to become a police officer. It is the National Commissioner’s Office that employs police officials in the Danish police force. All police officers in Denmark and in the Faroe Islands have attended the Police College, which is situated in Copenhagen. In Greenland, there is also a police college with exactly the same admission requirements and training programmes as in Denmark

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If you want to be a police officer in Denmark, in the Faroe Islands or in Greenland, there are some admission requirements that must be met. You can apply if you •

have reached the age of 21

•

are

a

Danish

national

or

have

applied

for

Danish

nationality/citizenship (employment as a civil servant requires Danish nationality/ citizenship) •

are in good health with normal hearing, and are not colour blind

•

have a driving licence for a car

Furthermore, importance will be attached to whether you •

are under 29 years of age

•

are reasonably tall, are physically robust and physically fit for the job as a police officer

•

have normal eyesight or eyesight that can be corrected by means of soft contact lenses

•

have no criminal record

•

live under orderly personal and financial conditions

•

have good school qualifi cations• have knowledge of IT

•

have knowledge of foreign languages

•

have passed the Danish Swimming Union test for life saving in a swimming pool (Bassinprøven) or the like

If you fulfil the requirements, there is an admis-sion test consisting of several elements. There is a written part where your skills in terms of general knowledge, Danish and arithmetic will be tested. There is a physical test where

swiftness,

physical

strength,

coordination

abilities

and

running

stamina will be assessed. If you pass, there will be a team test, a physical examination conducted by the police medical examiner, and fi nally an interview. Training If you pass all tests satisfactorily, you may be employed as a police offi cer on probation. That is the title you will have for the fi rst three years as a trainee.

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You

will

receive

a

salary

from

the

fi

rst

day

of

employment.

The training lasts approximately four years and is divided up into four modules: •

Basic Police Training module I at the Police College (approximately 9 months)

•

Basic Police Training module II at a police station (approximately 18 months

•

Basic Police Training module III at the Police College (approximately 9 months)

•

Basic Police Training module IV consisting of service with the Tactical Support Unit of the Copenhagen Police (approximately 7 months)

At the Police College, police officers receive instruction in subjects such as police theory, road traffic, criminal law, physical training, various legislation, fi rst aid, radio knowledge, identification of drugs, taking and securing evidence, criminology, weapons handling, service abroad, crime prevention, cultural sociology, management, human rights, psychology and education, just to mention a few.

After three years’ employment as a police officer on probation, you will join the

permanent

staff

and

have

the

title

of

Police

Constable.

Career opportunities In the police, there are many possibilities of pursuing individual interests, and there are many career opportunities. If you want to move up in the system and get a managerial job, you can apply for the various management cours-es provided by the Police College.

The Police College also offers in-house training in practically all subjects of relevance to police officers. The police service is making increasing use of the educational system of civil society, where police managers and employees

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can attend, for example, project management, IT, and HR educational programmes. Danish

police

officers

also

participate

in

peace-keeping

missions

at

flashpoints throughout the world, and the police have people posted in many other countries.

Learn more If you wish to learn more about admission requirements, the training and the job as a police offi cer, you will fi nd information on the special website of the police at www.blivpolitibetjent.dk. Last Modified: 17. august 2007

CLAN – Slagelse Police, Slagelse, Denmark

Working life and Private Life It is important to create possibilities for a multifaceted place of work, where employees of various backgrounds such as age, gender, ethnicity, education, etc. have the possibility of creating a good balance between the demands that are made by their work and the various needs and circumstances outside their place of work. Attention must be paid to the fact that the culture at the place of work influences several relations. This could be to what extend the use of flexibility in connection with temporary absences e.g. maternity leave, father/parent leave, leave towards retirement and many other conditions is seen accessible, and whether this will be of consequence for the individual’s future possibilities. This can also be the ability to show respect for dissimilarity and create equal possibilities for all and thereby the conditions for diversity. Management and employees are jointly responsible for creating a harmonious connection between work and family life, giving space for the whole employee (holistic approach) and employees of different backgrounds.

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Organization of the duty The working hours and placement of the individual employee is fixed with due regard to the tasks of the place of duty, the routines and the needs. As far as possible due regard is taken to the employee’s well-founded need for well-being, safety and family life, not forgetting the tasks that must be solved in an effective, flexible and high-quality way. Holidays and overtime should be taken continuously, but in a balance between the wishes of the individual, the planning of other employees’ duties, the collective planning of holidays and the district’s aim for getting rid of outstanding hours. Shift hours In order to distribute inconvenient hours to more employees and to secure as few night and weekend duties as possible it is the aim that as many police civil servants participate in shifthour-duties e.g. through short-term transfer to other departments in order to acquire competences in a special field, and employees who normally do not work shift hours can be asked to take part in preparedness duties in order that the frequency of weekend duties is distributed on as many employees as possible. Exemption from working shift hours or having night duty will normally only be given after consulting the doctor of the personnel and obtaining a certificate. 1. The following principles for planning of duty have been agreed on for shift-hour-duties: 2. Due to the maintaining of a 24-hour service a 40 hour week and 8 hour duties are planned for those employees who participate continuously in shift- hour-duties. 3. Employees who are not part of a continuous shift-hour-duty do not acquire free time according to the 37-hour rule, because the individual person basically has the possibility of a differentiated planning of duty outside the norm period. 4. The planning of duty takes place in accordance with the regulations for working hours and if at all possible duties are planned in accordance with the recommendation of “Project Shift Hours” as follows: •

Maximum 2-4 nights at a time

•

Avoid short intervals between 2 shifts unless extraordinarily required according to the regulations for working hours.

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•

As many free weekends as possible are planned for.

•

8-hours duties are planned for.

•

Clockwise rotation.

•

Flexibility

•

Planning and information of the shift-hour-schedule must be given well in advance.

•

Deviations from the schedule should be limited and changes should be given well in advance.

Apart from the above reference can be made to the regulations for working hours that apply to the district. Translated into English by Aa. Steinmetz

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