POLICE-RELATED ACTIVITIES OF FIELD OPERATIONS central ASIA General Police Development and Reform Community Policing, Police-Public Relations and Crime Prevention From 6 to 10 February, the Office, in co-operation with the Law Enforcement Academy under the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) supported a five day training seminar for law enforcement press officers in Astana. The event aimed to improve interaction between law enforcement agencies and media by examining the communications strategies of the law enforcement press service and ways to further enhance outreach, based on particular cases from a journalist perspective. Some 25 press officers representing the PGO from across the country also learnt how to professionally report on sensitive issues, prepare for public interviews and press conferences, as well as enhance their public speaking skills, draft a press release and handle crisis situations. On 28 April, the Office supported a public council meeting at the MoIA to discuss ways to enhance the level of trust between law enforcement and the public. The Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, the Head of the Committee of the Migration Service and the Head of the Administrative Police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as well as some 65 members of law enforcement and civil society representatives, discussed ways to enhance channels of communication between the public and law enforcement and how to promote crime prevention and community policing throughout the country. A set of recommendations for the MoIA was drafted by the participants. From 18 to 22 September, the Office supported a training seminar aimed at improving the interaction between law enforcement agencies and the media. The event was coorganized with the Law Enforcement Academy under the PGO for some 25 prosecutors from across the country, as well as officials from the PGO. Prosecutors learned how to professionally report on public safety emergencies in a timely manner, prepare for public interviews and press conferences, and how to improve their public speaking and crisis management skills. National experts presented good practices on fact-checking and the use of new media tools and social networks in practical exercises on drafting press releases, organizing press briefings and delivering a televised interview. under the PGO for some 25 representatives of the National Bureau of the Anti-Corruption Agency and the Economic Investigation Service from across Kazakhstan. Participants discussed how to enhance communication between their agencies and the media while examining outreach practices and ways to promote open channels of communication from a journalist’s perspective. They also learned how to professionally report on sensitive and timely cases, prepare for public interviews and press conferences, and how to improve their public speaking and crisis management skills. From 8 to 10 November, the Office supported a training seminar for 13 instructors of the Aktobe Law Institute under the MoIA and 15 transportation police officers from across Kazakhstan in enhancing police capacities to ensure public safety. Co-organized by the Office, the US Embassy in Kazakhstan and CARICC, the training provided the participants with the system, methods and tools of risk profiling  as well as conflict management skills. Practical exercises provided an opportunity to apply the participants’ newly acquired skills. From 28 to 30 November, the Office supported a training seminar in Almaty for 7 police instructors of the Almaty Police Academy and 20 community police officers in enhancing the capacities of the local police service in Almaty, and strengthening relations and co-operation with the local population in P/C VERLT. Co-organized by the Office with the Embassy of Canada in Kazakhstan, the training seminar was delivered by experts from Lithuania and Kazakhstan who focused their presentations on improving co-operation between community police officers and local population, engaging women, youth, and various ethnic, migrant and religious communities in P/C VERLT. The OSCE guidebook Preventing Terrorism and Countering VERLT: a CommunityBased Approach was distributed among the participants. Gender-based and Domestic Violence On 3 and 19 April, the Office, jointly with the Justice Academy under the Supreme Court of Kazakhstan, organized two training seminars on addressing domestic violence for some 60 chairpersons of regional courts from across the country. The seminar aimed at developing judges’ skills in effectively handling domestic violence cases through deepening their understanding of gender issues domestic violence law and legal procedures. From 9 to 13 October, the Office supported an additional training seminar aimed at improving interaction between law enforcement agencies and the media. The event was coorganized with the Law Enforcement Agencies Academy 113