OSCE Mission to Serbia supports international conference in Belgrade to promote Regional Serious and Organized Crime Threat Assessment
BELGRADE, 14 November 2016 – The OSCE Mission to Serbia supported an international conference today in Belgrade to promote the Regional Serious and Organized Crime Threat Assessment (SOCTA), which was developed jointly by the Interior Ministries of Serbia, Montenegro and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
Some 100 representatives from the respective ministries and from the civil society organizations and international organizations active in the field of police reform will attend the presentation of a strategic overview of the threats and risks caused by drug trafficking, irregular migration and human trafficking, cybercrime and other forms of organized and serious crime that are detrimental to human security in this part of the Western Balkans.
“The co-operation of the Ministers and Interior Ministries of the three countries, on development of a joint Serious and Organized Crime Threat Assessment, is a very important sign of concrete and consistent commitment,” said the Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, Andrea Orizio.
“To work together on in-depth analysis and on planning co-ordinated operational responses to major crime threats is the best way to be effective in responding to shared threats which are transnational and cross-cutting by nature,” said Orizio. “The OSCE is ready to continue supporting such crucial efforts in this vital challenge. We see today's meeting in Belgrade, thanks also to Serbia’s Interior Minister Stefanovic's participation and guidance, as a fundamental step and a possible start towards new joint co-operation in the region."
The SOCTA publication is the result of a three-year project, 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, which was funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Co-operation and implemented by the OSCE Mission to Serbia. The project is also part of the wider Swiss Police Co-operation Programme in the Western Balkans.
The Regional SOCTA is based on Europol’s methodology and the support of their experts. The overview it provides can be used to deepen operational police co-operation not only among these three countries, but in the broader region as well. It supports better allocation of resources and development of joint responses in the fight against transnational organized crime.
The Assessment will be published in the languages of the participating countries and English, and will soon be available on the websites of the three Interior Ministries.