New Requirements for Managers of Public Safety Systems

The current conditions of public safety systems require a broad management approach. This includes managing security issues related to all public policies, as well as giving proper attention to management issues. Thus, the thematic scope of public safety is wide-ranging, taking in social and criminal policy and crisis management. The characteristic feature of public safety systems lies in the fact that each hazard requires an individual configuration of activities, performed by various units. This issue requires the need for proper preparation by the organizations taking part in shaping public safety, especially the managers responsible for coordinating activities in this field. In the traditional approach, the specificity of managerial competence has not been studied, particularly in the area of public management. The question therefore arises: What competencies should modern managers in the public security system possess, in order to provide a highly efficient implementation of activities? Finding an answer to this question is the goal of this paper. The main findings of our study include: identification of the broad and narrow approaches to public safety, the characteristics of public safety as a complex adaptive system, and an analysis of the requirements of managers of public safety systems. As a conclusion, it was stated that managerial competencies in public safety systems should have an adaptive character, built on the basis of public safety, managerial knowledge and modern organizational capabilities, including organizational (C) 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.