Police diplomacy in the digital environment

Abstract

This paper focuses on the aspect of police diplomacy that is being analyzed in the domain of digital environment. In the opening section of this paper, a detailed impact of the globalization phenomena and the IT technologies over the development of international relations as well as modern diplomacy has been discussed. Police diplomacy, as the integral component of modern diplomacy, represents the response to the challenges of ever growing transnational crime and terrorism that may be addressed via the component of international police cooperation. Therefore, the focus of this paper was to first represent the police in the diplomatic context. Afterwards, the significance of understanding new media and their prominent role in the process of modern police diplomacy development. Furthermore, this paper analyses the question on how to tackle the challenges of digital diplomatic surroundings. Findings of the paper shows that the development of police diplomacy should be based around the concept of digital and networked-diplomacy. In order to be more efficient in carrying out diplomatic activities, police offices need to use all digital tools available, with special emphasis on social media networks. When formulating communication strategy, implementation of an integrative approach becomes an optimal one, having in mind the sheer number of participants and availability of traditional and digital media. The milieu of future development of police diplomacy revolves around the idea that there cannot be any isolated enforcement of diplomatic activities. The response to the challenges of digital surroundings can be found even in the implementation of innovative technologies, shifting focus from institutionalization towards diplomatic knowledge and skills of communication in the digital surroundings. This paper contributes to the area of police diplomacy. One of the limitations of this paper is the absence of complete knowledge on how digital diplomacy functions in the first place, which is shifted in the digital aspect of police diplomacy as well.