OSCE Mission supports Serbian Ministry of Interior in preparing its first Serious and Organized Crime Threat Assessment

Serbia’s first Serious and Organized Crime Threat Assessment (SOCTA) was published on the website of the Serbian Interior Ministry on 30 December 2015. The document, developed with the support of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, is a strategic overview of serious and organized crime in the country, including drugs, irregular migration, human trafficking, money laundering, corruption and cybercrime.

The SOCTA was written in line with EUROPOL methodology and will serve as the foundation for the strategic and operational planning of the Serbian authorities in tackling the problem of serious and organized crime. It will also contribute to the efficient use of their resources to this effect.

The document was developed with the support  of the OSCE Mission to Serbia as part of the Swiss-funded Regional Police Co-operation Programme (SPCP 2012 – 2016) project on “Enhancing Capacities for Strategic Analysis and Strategic Assessments in the Criminal Investigation Directorates of the Serbian, Montenegrin and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Ministries of Interior”.

The project’s final product, a regional SOCTA report, is to be developed by the three countries by June 2016 and will significantly contribute to providing a strategic overview of organized crime in this part of the region.

EUROPOL is developing SOCTA for the entire EU region by collecting contributions from all 28 member states and by providing the assessment of threats from the EU perspective.

The OSCE Mission’s support to the Serbian police and the Ministry of Interior in further enhancing their capacities to combat organized crime, as well as in establishing more effective operational co-operation with the police services of neighbouring countries, remains one of the OSCE Mission to Serbia’s key areas of work in the coming year.