EASTERN EUROPE 4.6 The OSCE Office in Minsk Background The Office came into existence on 1 January 2003. In 2010, police-related activities were facilitated by one international staff member within the frame of the Programme on Institution Building and Consolidating the Rule of Law. Community Policing As part of a series of activities of the OSCE with the Belarusian Ministry of the Interior that derived from the 2009 regional workshop on democratic policing in Minsk, the Office supported the study tour for Belarusian officials to Hungary from 13-17 September, which was organized the SPMU (see also 2.). The Office also supported the holding of a national round table in Minsk on 21 October, at which the findings and recommendations of the previous study tour were discussed (see also 2.). From 11-15 October, the Office in Minsk, in co-operation with the SPMU, provided support to the Belarusian MIA in organizing a course on pedagogical techniques (see also 2.). From 22-26 November, the Office in Minsk, in close co-operation with the SPMU and the International Training Centre of the Hungarian Ministry of the Interior, also supported a training of Belarusian police officers in “Behaviour Control in Stressful Situations” in Budapest (see also 2.). Trafficking in Human Beings In the course of 2010, the Office in co-operation with the CPC OS/Borders Team implemented a project aimed at enhancing the capacity of the psychological support service of the State Border Committee (SBC) in providing assistance to the SBC personnel as well as to victims of human trafficking, asylum seekers or refugees crossing the border. A specialized seminar for 25 SBC law enforcement psychologists was conducted from 22 November to 3 December by psychological trainers from the Polish Border Guard with participation of La Strada and the Belarusian Red Cross (see also 3.2). Three study visits on cross-border cooperation to Poland (19-23 July), the Russian Federation (29 November - 3 December) and Ukraine (21-24 December) as well as two related seminars were organized. A seminar in September included participants from Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Russian Federation and Ukraine (see also 3.2). The Office also supported the representatives of the Belarusian SBC in their participation in the OSCE Border Security and Management NFP Network activities (see also 3.2), as well as in various training course, including the “1st Staff Course” conducted at the OSCE Border Management Staff College in Dushanbe. 65