Safety teams started by the OSCE Mission help find local solutions to community problems in Kosovo, finds report

Prishtine/Pristina, 6 March 20009 - Community policing initiatives initiated by the OSCE Mission to Kosovo have helped to increase public safety in Kosovo municipalities, says an OSCE report issued today.

The report assesses the work of the Community Safety Action Teams, created in 2003 to improve safety and security locally. The teams consist of police officers, municipal officials and volunteers from different communities. As a result of their inclusive structure, which brings citizens and institutions together, the teams have had a positive impact on relations between communities, as well as on their relations with the Kosovo police, according to the report.

"In a society in transition, where there are fresh memories of undemocratic police practices, a police officer is not necessarily a figure of trust. This is why it is important to build up trust and bring the police closer to the people," said Ulrich Biffar, deputy director of the OSCE Mission Department for Security and Public Safety.

Concrete projects implemented by the teams include installing traffic signs and pedestrian crossings, environmental clean-up campaigns, and multi-ethnic events aimed at improving communication and co-operation between different communities in Kosovo.

The report concludes that the teams have provided a good platform for co-operation between representatives of different communities, civil society and the police. The report also recommends further steps to improve public safety, for example urging municipal authorities to provide sufficient logistical and financial support for traffic safety projects and allocate adequate resources for longer-term environmental projects.

The Community Safety Action Teams were established by the OSCE and the International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program of the U.S Department of Justice (ICITAP). The report release also marks the transfer of responsibility for the Community Safety Action Teams from the OSCE to the local authorities.

The full report is available on the OSCE website: www.osce.org/kosovo