OSCE Mission to Skopje welcomes establishment of local prevention Council in Karpos municipality

SKOPJE, 10 March 2008 - Promoting and further enhancing co-operation between local authorities and citizens, is the aim of a new community policing initiative launched in the Skopje municipality of Karpos today.

The establishment of a Local Prevention Council in Karpos is a pilot project, which the Interior Ministry, the Association of Local Self-Government Units (ZELS) and the OSCE Mission plan to extend to other municipalities countrywide in the course of the year.

"The Local Prevention Councils will have a distinctive inter-institutional character. They were conceived with a view to ensure the implementation of a new and comprehensive approach to public peace and order, which has at its core three key elements: strategy, partnership, and co-ordination," said Philip Tolson, the Head of the OSCE Mission's Police Development Department.

"It is envisaged that these bodies will further facilitate relationships between citizens and state institutions at local level, and contribute to the progress of the country's European aspirations and commitments. Partnership is the way forward, bringing local policing to a new level of service to the public."

Karpos Mayor Andrej Petrov added: "The establishment of the Local Prevention Council in our municipality will strengthen the mutual co-operation between the municipality and the police, and create a safer environment for the citizens and timely response to their concerns."