Police Absolutism

When we want to talk about connection between Austro-Hungarian Monarchy and police activity, it is necessary to mention the year 1792 because we consider that time as an existence of police absolutist state. In the dictionary a definition of a police state and absolutism, is: police state is “a country that maintains repressive control over the people by means of police (especially secret police)” and the absolutism “is a principle or practice of a political system in which unrestricted power is vested in a monarch, dictator, etc.” In 1792 Francis II started to rule - the last Holy Roman Emperor who in 1804 became Francis I - the first Emperor of Austria.
One of the most important diplomats of that era was Prince Klemens Wenzel von Metternich

The Gendarmerie (the Slovak expression for it is “žandárstvo”) played key role in the history of the police in the territory of Slovakia, in 1945 it changed into “The national security force” (the Slovak version is “Zbor národnej bezpečnosti” and the Slovak abbreviation is ZNB). Gendarmerie was responsible for maintaining public order and fighting against crime. Apart from that, police constables controlled hunting and fishing tickets, transporting of cattle, catching tobacco smugglers, and guarding the fields. Essential operating area of gendarmerie was countryside whilst communal police forces and state police officers operated in the

The activity of the force is controlled by Slovak Parliament and the Slovak Government. When comparing the force to other police forces in Slovakia it can be useful to add that the national police is an armed security force (police officers carry guns, handcuffs, baton, protective shields, tear gas and electric paralyzer, etc. whilst current armaments and other equipment depend on the situation).
According to Act No 171/1993 Coll., the main tasks of the Police force are:
 Protection of basic human rights and freedom, protection of life, health, personal freedom, security and property
 Crime detection, including revealing and clarifying of misdemeanours
 Perpetrators identification
 Detection of tax evasions, unlawful financial operations, money laundering, and financing of terrorism
 Crime investigation and summarry investigation
 Fighting against terrorism and organized crime
 Protection of specific persons and places (i.e. President of the Slovak Republic, the building of the Slovak Parliament)
 Border