Participants of OSCE conference in Kosovo pledge to improve regional co-operation on combating organized crime and transnational threats

A conference organized by the OSCE Mission and Kosovo Police for law enforcement officers, government representatives, and academics from Western Balkans, Turkey and several EU countries on combating organized crime and transnational threats concluded on 18 November 2014 in Prishtinë/Priština.

The participants committed to increase their effectiveness in fighting organized crime by further enhancing criminal intelligence sharing and by conducting joint training and investigations.

“People involved in the three main sectors of organized crime – trafficking in human beings, drugs and weapons – seem to co-operate unhindered by ethnic prejudices, political differences, and bureaucratic procedures,” said Ambassador Jean-Claude Schlumberger, Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo.

“Regional co-operation has become the key to effectively and successfully fight organized crime. The more we co-operate and exchange information and intelligence, the more effective we will become in prosecuting criminals.”

The conference was a continuation of the OSCE’s efforts to enhance regional co-operation and increase effectiveness of law enforcement agencies.

Since 2009 the OSCE has helped Kosovo institutions to draft strategies and actions plans against organized crime, terrorism, narcotics, and it continues to help with their implementation.

The OSCE Mission in Kosovo is mandated with human and community rights protection and promotion, democratization and public safety sector development.