Role of EU and National Legislation in Shaping Communication in Police Detention Centres

The study is devoted to a discussion on selected issues relating to the EU and national legislation which determine the process of the mainstream communication with third-country nationals in the Police Detention Centres. The study is a part of the ongoing research project of the Department of Foreign Languages of the Academy of the Police Force in Bratislava and the Bureau of the Border and Foreign Police of the Presidium of the Police Force, Slovakia titled Intercultural Communication with third-country nationals in the Police Detention Centres. The research attempts to find the answer to the following question: What means of intercultural communication (verbal and non-verbal) do police officers use with third-country nationals for mutual understanding, avoiding conflicts and correct adherence to human rights? Following the findings of the intermediate legislative and applied research, the author points out the main reasons which lead to certain difficulties in performing understandable communication in the Police Detention Centres such as loopholes in the EU legislation, non-conformity of the EU and national legislation in using the state (national) vs foreign language in official service communication with third-country nationals whose stay is unauthorised in the territory of the Slovak Republic, and in the EU and the Schengen Area, and their residence or entry into the Schengen Area is detected as irregular and subsequently clarified, with respective accountability.