POLICE-RELATED ACTIVITIES OF FIELD OPERATIONS SOUTH-EASTERN EUROPE Counter-Terrorism & P/C VERLT From 26 to 27 January, the Mission initiated a comprehensive needs assessment, which aims to serve as a basis for developing a project proposal reflecting the Mission’s holistic approach to P/C VERLT. On 6 March, the Mission organized a roundtable on the role of the City’s Safety Council and local self-government in P/C VERLT, in Novi Pazar, south-western Serbia. The activity assisted the Novi Pazar Safety Council in co-ordinating all efforts related to preventing this phenomenon. Some 15 participants, including the representatives of local CSOs, the youth office and local authorities participated. This activity is part of the Mission’s efforts to support the prevention of violent extremism in Serbia and encourage active participation of all relevant local stakeholders in addressing this matter. On 15 March, the Mission organized a workshop on P/C VERLT, in Nis, South-Eastern Serbia, for members of the Nis Safety Council, local officials, police, judiciary, school councils and CSOs. The workshop aimed to familiarize local actors with the phenomenon of VERLT and highlight the importance of a co-ordinated and comprehensive approach to addressing the issue. Some 30 participants learned best practices of other European countries in dealing with the issue. This activity is part of the Mission’s broader efforts to establish close partnerships between local self-governments, civil society representatives and other relevant stakeholders in addressing local safety needs and co-operating in P/C VERLT. From 20 to 21 March, the Mission organized a two-day workshop on P/C VERLT, in Serbia for Government representatives, members of religious confessions, national and local municipal safety councils and the diplomatic missions. The aim of this workshop was to encourage a countrywide discussion on P/C VERLT and examine the available prevention mechanisms using a comprehensive approach involving all stakeholders. Some 80 participants discussed ways to identify warning signs of violent extremism in vulnerable communities and prevent its development. This activity is part of the Mission’s efforts to support the prevention of violent extremism and to encourage the active participation of all relevant stakeholders in addressing this matter. On 5 April, the Mission organized a workshop on the role of CSOs in P/C VERLT. The activity aimed to initiate dialogue among the CSOs on an effective approach to addressing VERLT and encourage CSO co-operation in this area. 32 representatives of CSOs from all over Serbia discussed the most common forms and manifestations of this phenomenon. One international and six local experts presented ways to prevent violent extremism in vulnerable communities. This workshop complements the workshop held for government representatives, religious communities and municipal safety councils in March. From 13 to 14 June, the Mission and the MoI organized the final meeting of the inter-ministerial working group tasked to develop the National Strategy for the Prevention and Countering of Terrorism for the period 2017–2021. Around 50 group members reviewed the comments on the text of the Strategy and Action Plan and produced the final version of both documents, which were adopted by the government on 12 October. This activity is a part of the Mission’s efforts to support national institutions in the fight against terrorism. From 12 to 14 July, the Mission and the MoI organized a workshop in Vrsac on P/C VERLT, for members of the MoI’s Service for Combatting Terrorism and Extremism. The purpose of this workshop was to improve police capacities to prevent terrorism and violent extremism by working with local communities in detecting early signs of radicalization. Two experts from the Netherlands and the United Kingdom conducted the workshop. The workshop, attended by 27 participants, resulted in the drafting of a curriculum for training additional community police officers. On 19 and 20 October, the Mission supported TNTD/ATU in organizing a risk-assessment and crisis management exercise aimed at strengthening protection and preparedness against terrorist attacks on critical energy infrastructure. 32 experts from various national state authorities and private sector companies tested the effectiveness of their existing protection and crisis management systems, including coordination with external crisis management mechanisms to mitigate the impact of an attack. The exercise aimed to improve partnerships between the public and private sectors, in order to increase the resilience of national energy infrastructure. This table-top exercise was the sixth of a series of national exercises developed by TNTD/ATU for participating States and is based on its Good Practices Guide on Non-Nuclear Critical Energy Infrastructure Protection from Terrorist Attacks Focusing on Threats Emanating from Cyberspace. From 6 to 8 November, the Mission organized a fact-finding assessment to increase the knowledge needed for adequate prevention of VERLT. The assessment was conducted in Belgrade and Novi Pazar by an international expert on P/C VERLT. The assessment is a follow-up of the workshop on improving the technical capacity of Serbian police in the field of P/C VERLT, held in mid-2017. Based on the fact-finding report, the Mission and the expert will identify specific activities that will be presented to all relevant stakeholders. 85