POLITICISATION OF POLICE CO-OPERATION IN EUROPE UNTIL WORLD WAR II

Đorđević Saša (Centar za civilno-vojne odnose, Beograd), sasadjordjevic@ccmr-bg.org

Police co-operation is not a new “invention” or result of modern globalisation trends. There have been various modalities of police co-operation since it was established as a profession, but its institutionalised forms were created in the 19th century (partially or fully). In this paper, the author points to the elements of politicisation (and attempts of depoliticisation) of police co-operation in Europe before the beginning of the Second World War. He explores the ways police cooperation was used in this period for political purposes as well as for the fight against political opposition and opponents. Also, Germany was one of the key actors in the process of deepening police co-operation in Europe in the 19th and 20th century. Special attention is devoted to the activities of the Police Union of German States and the International Criminal Police Commission.

Keywords: police, police co-operation, Europe, Police Union of German States, International Criminal Police Commission, politicisation, nazification