OSCE Mission trains Kosovo Police on information and intelligence gathering through community involvement
The OSCE Mission concluded a series of workshops for all of eight Kosovo Police regions on ways and methods to prevent crimes through community involvement.
The workshops held in Prishtinë/Priština, Gjilan/Gnjilane, Gjakovë/Djakovica, and Mitrovicë/Mitrovica South from 1 to 13 September involved 120 sector police officers assigned in their areas of responsibility, many of whom are part of Local Public Safety Committees alongside local community representatives at village / neighbourhood level.
These events aimed at introducing new sector officers to their duties and obligations outlined in the Integrated Intelligence-led and Community-Oriented Policing Standard Operating Procedures, which the Mission helped develop. Participants were informed about how the intelligence process works and ways to utilize information passed to them from the community. This process enables local issues of concern to be identified and addressed more proactively and effectively, ensuring safer communities.
“Local Public Safety Committees are helping communities to address security problems through co-operation and partnership at the local level. Such local safety fora also offer an effective mechanism in support of efforts to prevent problems from arising in the first place,” said Michael Davenport, Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo.
“Communities also need to know their sector police officers, and members of the public need to know who to contact about their concerns. I therefore welcome police efforts to gain the trust and confidence of local communities,” he added.
The officers were also shown an example of a comprehensive sector file, which is a reference point for information pertaining to people or particular premises located within a certain area, and were trained on how to compile one for their own sector, including what information should be collated. These files would be electronically compiled and available, thus enabling swift communication and information being obtained for dynamic incidents occurring locally, as well as a central reference point.
The OSCE Mission in Kosovo is mandated with human rights protection, democratization and public safety. It works with all law-enforcement agencies to increase their capacities to deal with threats to security and public safety through special tailored training programmes developed in co-operation with them.