Инструкција за полицијске службенике војних комунитета из 1833. године
Instruction to Police Officers of the Military Communities in 1833

Summary/Abstract: The meaning of the term „police matters“ in the early 19th century, differed quite a lot from the modern understanding. The police were not just a force established to maintain peace, order and the rule of law. It was an authority which had to supervise a much wider range of government branches. In the former Austrian Military Frontier, a small network of cities, the military communities, was established to satisfy the needs for craft and other more advanced production in the dominantly agrarian society. The self-government of the towns was largely limited by higher authorities, and the internal life subordinated to the needs and wishes of the military. According to regulations, police officers of the military communities had to take care about everyday order, sanitary and health management, market and trade inspections, fireman’s equipment and coordination etc. The Instruction to police officers of the military communities of 1833 shows that the priority attention had to be given to the control of movement of foreigners. All persons, except for the town’sown citizens, had to report immediately after arrival to local police authorities for a passport check and regulation of their permission to stay. Suspicious individuals had to be monitored and even spied. It is interesting that the Instruction insists on the expulsion of non-domestic pregnant women, with the aim to avoid expenses for the care of their newborns. Lower-rank police workers had to know all households and their inhabitants in the town personally. Police authorities had to pay special attention to local pubs and not allow them to stay open after-hours. Huge efforts had to be undertaken to secure, not just the quality but the quantity and satisfactory provision of basic food (such as bread) necessary for nutrition of the population.

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