POLICE-RELATED ACTIVITIES OF FIELD OPERATIONS SOUTH-EASTERN EUROPE From 26 to 27 June, the Mission contributed to developing guidelines for the application of the provisions of nonpunishment of victims of human trafficking in Montenegro. At the expert roundtable organized by the Mission to Montenegro, the Mission presented its activities in the area of THB. Additionally, the Mission supported participation of the representatives from the CSO ASTRA and the Serbian governmental organization “Centre for protection of the Human Trafficking Victims”. On 4 September, the Mission supported organization of a bilateral meeting between the Croatian and Serbian authorities dealing with THB investigations in Zagreb, Croatia. The purpose of the meeting was to exchange data and experiences in relation to the ongoing investigations on smuggling and trafficking of migrants. The Serbian delegation consisted of four representatives of the Task Force on Combating Human Smuggling. They agreed with their Croatian counterparts on concrete future measures in relation to the fight against organized criminal groups engaged in smuggling of migrants. On 3 and 4 October, the Mission facilitated a meeting of Serbian officials responsible for curbing smuggling and trafficking of migrants with their Romanian counterparts in Bucharest, Romania. The purpose of the meeting was to exchange the latest data and experiences in conducting investigations on smuggling and trafficking of migrants. This activity was implemented in line with the Mission’s wider efforts to enhance the capacities of the Serbian authorities in combating transnational and serious crime. On 9 and 10 November, the Mission facilitated a regional operational meeting of prosecutors and police investigators in charge of investigating and prosecuting organized crime groups dealing with smuggling of migrants. The meeting gathered 15 prosecutors and police investigators from Bulgaria, Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Hungary, Romania, as well as eight representatives of the Serbian Task Force on Combating Human Smuggling. The goal of the meeting was to present national legislation and institutions handling migrant smuggling cases in each country, present statistical data in relation to illegal migrations, exchange operational information in relation to the ongoing investigations on smuggling and trafficking of migrants, as well as identify cases for possible joint investigations. This activity was implemented in line with the Mission’s wider efforts to enhance the capacities of the Serbian authorities in combating transnational and serious crime. On 29 and 30 November, the Mission, in partnership with UNHCR, the MoI, and the Ministry of Defence, organized the first of five training seminars on human and legal aspects of handling the refugee and migrant crisis. A total of 14 members of the Ministry of Defence and the Army received the training, which furthered the skills of military personnel who patrol Serbian borders with the police to help curb illegal migration. On 12 December, the Mission organized the second seminar on these topics for 40 members of the Joint Police-Army team. The activity was implemented to support the host country’s integrated approach to addressing migration-related issues. On 7 December, the Mission and the CSO Centre for Human Trafficking Victims’ Protection organized a conference on the situation with regard to victims of trafficking in human beings in Serbia. The conference aimed to improve the quality of support to THB victims in Serbia, with a specific focus on the right to reflection as an effective best practice and humanitarian measure for protecting the human rights of trafficked persons. Some 80 participants, including National THB Coordinators, as well as Serbian judges, prosecutors, police, CSOs and psychologists working with victims of THB, discussed their respective roles and responsibilities within this domain. This activity was implemented in an effort to ensure a comprehensive institutional approach to supporting victims of THB. On 18 and 22 December, the Mission, in co-operation with the MoIs of Serbia and of the Russian Federation, organized an intensive training course in Saint Petersburg on countering THB. Eight officers from the Serbian MoI’s Service for Combatting Organized Crime learned how to effectively detect THB-related crimes and carry out proactive investigations and other operational duties. This activity contributed to the enhancement of Serbian law enforcement’s capacities in investigating and prosecuting THB cases and facilitated co-operation between the specialized units of the two countries. Cybercrime In February, the Mission conducted a needs assessment in support of the TNTD/SPMU regional project “Capacity Building for Criminal Justice Practitioners Combating Cybercrime and Cyber-enabled Crime in South-Eastern Europe”. The Mission interviewed representatives of the MoI’s Department for the Suppression of Hi-Tech Crime and reported back to TNTD/SPMU. As a follow up, the Mission supported the implementation of the project through regular meetings with the Department for the Suppression of Hi-Tech Crime, to identify trainers for the ToT events planned for 2018. 87