Perceptions of private security: А case study of students from Serbia and North Macedonia

In the last two decades of the 21st century, the significant development of the private security industry has taken place in Serbia and North Macedonia. However, the private security industry in these two countries did not reach professional standards as in other countries of the former Yugoslavia. The aim of this paper was to determine students’ perception of private security and its employees. The survey data were collected using an anonymous survey of 354 students (296 from Serbia and 58 from North Macedonia). In both countries, attitudes are heterogeneous, but a relatively small number of respondents have expressed a high level of perception of private security. The research has shown that gender, as one of demographic characteristics, has its role in shaping young people’s views on the private security, that is, the female population has more positive views about private security guards, their integrity, and the nature of the private security job. The findings offer policy-makers and private security companies the opportunity to develop new strategies to improve public attitudes towards private security.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/337185473_Perceptions_of_private_security_A_case_study_of_students_from_Serbia_and_North_Macedonia

Ispitivanje stavova učenika o uvodjenju nastavnog predmeta bezbednosna kultura u srednjim školama - Examination of students' attitudes about the introduction of a course “safety culture” in secondary schools

Предмет квантитативног истраживања представља испитивање ставова ученика о увођењу наставног предмета ,,безбедносна култура“ у наставни план и програм за средњу школу. Поред тога, анализирају се и утицаји одређених каратеристика ученика на њихове позитивне или негативне ставове за увођење споменутог предмета. Вишеетапним случајним узорковањем, из укупне популације ученика средњих школа у Београду, обухваћен је узорак величине 3063 ученика из 14 средњих школа. Према добијеним резултатима, у највећој мери, ученици нису сигурни да ли су за увођење предмета (47,8%). Са друге стране, 26,2% ученика је одговорило да је за увођење предмета, док је 24,7% дало негативан одговор. Такође, у раду је утврђено је да на ставове испитаника о увођењу предмета статистички значајно утичу пол, године старости, запосленост родитеља, образовање оца и мајке, разред. Резултати истраживања могу бити искоришћени од стране доносиоца одлука приликом конципирања стратегија и програма увођења наставног предмета безбедносна култура у наставни план и програм за средњу школу у циљу и смањења ризика од катастрофа. Кључне речи: безбедност, катастрофе, ученици, ставови, истраживање ------ The subject of quantitative research is to examine students' attitudes about the introduction of a course “safety culture” into a curriculum for secondary school. In addition, the impacts of certain characteristics of students are analyzed on their positive or negative attitudes about the introduction of the course. From the total population of secondary school students in Belgrade, multiple-point random sampling included a sample of 3063 students from 14 secondary schools. Based on the results, the students are mostly not sure if they have positive attitude towards the introduction of the course (47.8%). On the other hand, 26.2% of students answered that they vote for the introduction of the course, while 24.7% gave a negative answer. Also, it has been found that the attitudes of respondents on the introduction of the course are statistically significantly influenced by gender, age, parental employment, education of father and mother, grade. The research results can be used by the decision-makers when designing strategies and programs for the introduction of the course “safety culture” into a curriculum for secondary school in order to reduce disaster risks. Key words: safety, disasters, students, attitudes, research

Cvetković, V., & Filipović, M. (2018). Ispitivanje stavova učenika o uvodjenju nastavnog predmeta bezbednosna kultura u srednjim školama - Examination of students' attitudes about the introduction of a course “safety culture” in secondary schools. Kultura polisa, 15(35), 277-286. 

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322200113_Ispitivanje_stavova_ucenika_o_uvodjenju_nastavnog_predmeta_bezbednosna_kultura_u_srednjim_skolama_-_Examination_of_students'_attitudes_about_the_introduction_of_a_course_safety_culture_in_secondary_sc

Recognition and perception of risks and Environmental hazards on the part of the student population in the Republic of Macedonia

The subject of quantitative research in this paper is analysis of the knowledge and the perceptions of students from seven different faculties in different years of study.  The authors used quantitative survey method to identify and describe the knowledge and the perceptions about the possible risk and disasters. 382 students from all years of study were examined. The results show that the respondents have a high level of knowledge on natural disasters and that there is a significant difference among students depending mostly on the year of study. There is also a difference in some perceptions between the students from “nonsecurity” and from “security” studies. The limitation of the research refers to the fact that the investigation is based only on students willing to participate in the answering of the questionnaire. Considering the evident lack of risks and hazards related to the Environment in Macedonia, the survey results can be used when creating the strategy of educational programs, which would contribute to improving the safety of youth culture. The research results can also be used for the improvement of existing knowledge and preparedness for responding to risks and hazards related to the еnvironment.

Keywords: risks and hazards, students, knowledge, perception, environment.

CONCLUSIONS

     The environment represents a field that comprises the interest of many scientific disciplines and as a result of such interest different scientific instruments are being created. In general, it can be observed both as an interest of the natural and as an interest of social sciences. In the social sciences of particular importance is the connection between the economics and the sociology on one hand and the technical and the natural laws on another. This, of course, results in the creation of the concept of sustainable development.

                   The relationship between the Security and the Risks is established and it is of visible or of latent nature. The space for scientific research in this area is "unlimited". Risks today represent part of modern society, or as Beck calls it - " A risk society". Within these general conditions the environment and their media directly associated with it, as well as the closely related issues, are going to increasingly gain impportance. As a result, more and more people will be changing their perception of the security. In this sense, the subjective feeling of security among people, the variable "environment" will become increasingly important.

    On behalf of the risks and the threats contrary to the doctrine of the Liberal Thinking, all the states will be  strengthening their position and "maneuvering space" to restrict the rights and the freedoms of the people.Therefore, the risks despite having objective potential for endangering,  are subject to additional "shaping" most often from the state authorities and the holders of information activities. The holders of information activities acquire a global dimension with incredible speed, and the state authorities usually cannot follow this progress.

About the differences arising on individual level on risk perception the cultural context, as well as the objective reality have crucial importance.The students in terms on threats to the environment on the first place put  the endangerment of the air and the water. Half of them believe that the soil is  being subject to threat. The perception that the air is the most endangered is due to the fact that all respondents are living in Skopje. The students also consider that the threat to the water is strong, but at the same time do not think that Republic of Macedonia would have a problem with shortage of water. Among the students  the tradition, the religion and the religious feelings are values which in most cases are evaluated differently, i.e. the answers are ranging with substantial variations in the value of the standard deviation. The ethnic hate has the highest value in terms of the assessment of its security relevance. The perception among the students  about the risks and dangers to the environment at the global level is based on speculation and incomplete informations. There are significant differences in these responses and large scattering of opinions. The participants have built a perception that the environment in the country is not being protected. At the same time, they are not contributing towards its threat. The respondents as individuals are significantly contributing to its protection (defined by four control issues). There is no statistically significant difference in the perception on the risks and dangers of the students of the Faculty of Security Skopje and the students  of the Institute for Defense and Peace. That speaks for a relatively same perception towards  the risks and the dangers. According to the authors this is due to the development of a safety culture and the acquired knowledge during the studies and in general the attitude towards the risks and hazards associated with the security.There is a difference in the perception of the value of security issues among the students  from the first and the third years of study. The students in the third year of study have a higher developed sense for security culture. Secondly, among the students  from the first  year we can see incompleted attitudes towards some security matters that can be especially illustrated by the values of the deviations to the standard deviation in the assessment of the security challenge in the cases: "existence of classical military threat", "terrorism", "trafficking people "and" human organ trafficking ". In addition, the performed t - test showed statistical significance of differences between these two groups among the questions: "human organ trafficking" and the "terrorism". There is a statistically significant difference between the attitudes of the students  from the Faculty of Security Skopje and the Faculty of Law "Iustinianus Primus" in terms of the range of danger of risks associated with the spread of tropical diseases to the north and the south of the equator as well as pollution of the oceans due to the release of a carbon dioxide.This is due to a higher degree of the build security culture rather  based on the familiarity with the real facts and data.Macedonia is vulnerable to risks and dangers from different nature and the overall processes are not in favor of existence of an optimal level of handling and management of these risks.

The existence of the consequences for the human health over the last decades of the 20th - century have created social interest groups that enabled the creation of a system for Environmental protection, which is not completely finished e.i is not yet utterly functional and operational.

For citations: Ivanov, A., Cvetković, V., & Sudar, S. . (2015). Recognition and perception of risks and environmental hazards on the part of the student population in the republic of Macedonia. In Z. Ž. i. O. Bacanović (Ed.), International scientific conference - Researching security - approaches, concepts and policies. Skopje: University “St. Kliment Ohridski” - Bitola Faculty of Security.

KNOWLEDGE AND PERCEPTIONS OF STUDENTS OF THE ACADEMY OF CRIMINALISTIC AND POLICE STUDIES ABOUT NATURAL DISASTERS

Experience has shown that access to high-quality educational programs about natural disasters is of crucial importance in protecting children and their families. It was also noted that instead of considering children and women as the most vulnerable categories (victims), they can be recognized as contributors to the recovery of community assuming that they have acquired a solid knowledge on natural disasters and elimination of their consequences. Education about risk of natural disasters can be represented through special programs or through the implementation into basic curriculum. Furthermore, such education can be realized through curricular and extra-curricular activities (such as, for example, various workshops, games, etc.). Although the education of young people for the protection of life, health and the environment has its roots in the family and pre-school education, the school is irreplaceable in achieving this goal. The school is obliged to develop the knowledge, awareness and habits that prevent dangers, in fact, in its basic function it has the task to enable human, on the one hand, to rule over nature, and on the other, protection against hazards that may befall them and against his human ,, nature“  itself. It is important to have awareness that we ,, cannot escape" from danger, they can only be prevented ,that is, consequences can be prevented  by knowledge, awareness and education to automatism of habits. In addition, education for active and passive protection of self and others, physical integrity or natural properties and the environment, while creating habits and feelings of responsibility, truthfulness, humanity, justice, modesty is subject of educational influence of school education. The main findings are: respondents showed a high level of knowledge about natural disasters, however, the level is the highest in natural disasters that are present in our region; the best knowledge on safety procedures is in relation to droughts, because 98.6% of respondents indicate appropriate treatment. The lowest level of knowledge of safety procedures is registered in extreme temperatures and amounts 52.5%; of the total, 86.9% of respondents said that they had someone at school who talked about natural disasters, as opposed to 13.1% who responded negatively, 79.2% of respondents were introduced with some of the natural disaster by a family member, while 20.8% were not; 60.6% of respondents feel protected, 32.2.% are not sure and 6.9% do not feel protected in the facilities of the Academy when it comes to natural disasters; 26.4% feel the fear of natural disasters, 20.3% are not sure and 53.3% do not feel fear; 83.9% of respondents would like to undergo training, 8.9% are not sure and 7.2% do not want; the largest number of respondents gained information about natural disasters through television 92.8%, and the smallest number  through video-games 5.8%. The results indicate that there is a statistically significant correlation between: the father's education (p = 0,03≤0,05, phi = 0.30 - medium); mother's education (p = 0,04≤0,05, phi = 0.10 - small); employment of parents (p = 0,05≤0,05, phi = 0.30 - medium) and knowledge about natural disasters. Also, there is a statistically significant relationship between television and the perception of knowledge about natural disasters (p = 0,05≤0,05, phi = 0.21 - medium);

Za citiranje koristiti: Cvetković, V., Ivanov, A., & Sadiyeh, A. (2015). Knowledge and perceptions of students of the Academy of  criminalistic and police studies about natural disasters. Paper presented at the International scientific conference Archibald Reiss days, Belgrade.