The police-related activities of the OSCE executive structures are based on a comprehensive list of mandates and tasks, which have been provided by various Ministerial Council and Permanent Council Decisions since 1998. In December 2012, to further strengthen the OSCE’s efforts to address transnational threats, the Dublin Ministerial Council adopted Decision No. 4/12. This so called ‘chapeau’ decision endorses four decisions which had been adopted in 2012 by the Permanent Council on the Development of Confidence-Building Measures to Reduce the Risks of Conflict Stemming from the Use of Information and Communication Technologies (PC Decision No. 1039), the OSCE Concept for Combating the Threat of Illicit Drugs and the Diversion of Chemical Precursors (PC Decision No. 1048), the OSCE Strategic Framework for Police-Related Activities (PC Decision No. 1049); as well as the OSCE Consolidated Framework for the Fight against Terrorism (PC Decision No. 1063). 5 Due to the OSCE’s comprehensive and cross-dimensional approach to the three dimensions of security, which emphasizes the connection between rule of law, economic development and stability, police-related activities have been increasingly attracting attention by the OSCE’s executive structures. In addition to the field operations and the Strategic Police Matters Unit in the newly created Transnational Threats Department (TNTD/SPMU), the High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM) and the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), as well as several thematic units within the OSCE Secretariat have included certain aspects of policing in their respective programmes. The thematic units include: the TNTD/Co-ordination Cell, TNTD/Action against Terrorism Unit (ATU); the TNTD/Borders Unit; the Gender Section; the Office of the Co-ordinator of Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA); and the Office of the Special Representative and Coordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings (OSR/CTHB). With the adoption of the OSCE Strategic Framework for Police-Related Activities in 2012, the participating States reaffirmed their acknowledgement of the key role that OSCE policerelated activities play in the Organization’s efforts to address threats to security and stability in the OSCE region posed by criminal activity emanating from organized crime, including terrorism and trafficking in drugs and human beings, as well as in the areas of conflict prevention, crisis management and post-conflict rehabilitation. Furthermore, the participating States acknowledged the added value of the OSCE’s police related activities in the international context, and reaffirmed the priority areas of OSCE engagement that they had defined in the past decade, and which had already been addressed by the OSCE executive structures throughout the previous years. The topics that continued to dominate OSCE’s policing agenda in 2012 were the fight against transnational threats, including those emanating from organized crime and terrorism, and the promotion of the principles of democratic policing. In 2012, the main focus of OSCE police reform assistance programmes was directed towards providing assistance in introducing and enhancing community policing/police-public partnerships, strategic planning, accountability, the development of basic and advanced police training capacity; combating trafficking in human beings as well as terrorism, enhancing border management, and promoting regional law enforcement co-operation in addressing transnational threats. Increasing attention was devoted to addressing cyber security and cybercrime. In all of the police-related activities, the promotion of human rights and gender mainstreaming remained an integral element. 6 Moreover, in line with a holistic approach to Criminal Justice System Reform (CJSR), the executive structures have increasingly combined police reform activities with activities that address capacity building of other key players of the Criminal Justice System too, such as prosecutors and judges. Such complementary activities included in particular joint training events for police officers, prosecutors and judges. In order to develop a coherent OSCE-wide 5 6 16 For a comprehensive overview of the Decisions, see Appendix 3 to this report. An overview of different areas of police-related activities is provided in Appendix 4 and 5 to this report.