Empirical Bases for Decision Making in Home Affairs – is there anything more than national differences in the EU!?

Bug, Mathias (2015) Empirical Bases for Decision Making in Home Affairs – is there anything more than national differences in the EU!? [Conference Proceedings] (Submitted)

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Abstract

Introduction: Crime as well as fear of crime play a crucial role regarding societal development, public life and individual planning. The legitimacy of democratic society can only be held up if it is the state having the monopoly over violence (executed through police forces), whilst the executive is overseen by parliaments and full access to the legal system for every citizen. However, there is very different cultures in policing and police compe-tences within the European Union. Here, Germany plays a special role. On the one hand Germany’s history of fascism and also communist ruling until 1990 in Eastern Germany might have an impact upon a society highly aware of surveillance.2 On the other hand, in the area of home affairs, German federalism is of a divisive nature, with the main com-petence upon home affairs in the hands of Länder-governments. This creates already on a German scale different cultures of policing and expectations towards the police etc. It is especially the trust in state institutions that is endangered in case of a powerless po-lice and in case of a too far reaching police. This makes it most obvious that decision making in home affairs need a solid empirical base regarding both, the actual nature of crime as well as society’s perception of crime.

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