The Genesis of “Police” as a Notion, Institution and the State’s Functions

Abstract

The police is genetically connected with state. The tasks of the state, although not named by the notion “police”, were connected with the state according to the different powers of the state. The evolution of these tasks was a result of significant changes to the rights of human beings within the state. Tasks of institutional police had been fulfilled by the different structures and legal positions. From this point of view, the police may be treated as a military or civil structure. It may be a central structure – connected with governmental authorities, as well as decentralized – connected with local self-government. The police, according to its goals, may be an administrative police, police created to keep the security of citizens and police created to keep state security. The paper presented shows the genesis of this differentiation, as well as police formations, which are described by the criteria given above.