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 1998.6 In the last 12 years, the concerns that most
dominated the OSCE policing agenda for post-conflict States and States in transition
(terrorism, transnational crime, the negative effect of corruption on sustainable economic
growth and brutal violations of human rights) − led chiefly to calls for improvements in law
enforcement investigative techniques, and a shift from a culture of force to a culture of
service.
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 (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 Action against Terrorism Unit (ATU); the
Operations Service/Borders Team in the Conflict Prevention Centre (OS/Borders Team); the
Gender Section; the Office of the Co-ordinator of Economic and Environmental Activities
(OCEEA); and the Office of the Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating
Trafficking in Human Beings (OSR/CTHB).
Moreover, in line with a holistic approach to Criminal Justice System Reform, 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.
The topics that continued to dominate OSCE’s policing agenda were the fight against
transnational threats, including those, emanating from organized crime and terrorism, and
the promotion of the principles of democratic policing. In 2011, the main focus of OSCE
police reform assistance programmes was directed towards providing assistance in
introducing and enhancing police-public partnerships/community policing, 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.7
This is the tenth report submitted in accordance with Decision 9, paragraph 6, of the
Bucharest Ministerial Council Meeting, 4 December 2001. It describes the police-related
activities of the OSCE executive structures in compliance with the Ministerial and Permanent
Council Decisions and Action Plans, listed in Appendix 2. The report provides information
about the police-related activities of the SPMU, other thematic units in the Secretariat, and
the OSCE field operations. The ODIHR Annual Report on Police-Related Activities for 2011
is attached to this report in Appendix 1.
A list of contact details of the OSCE executive structures that dealt with policing issues in
2011 is attached in Appendix 5 to this report.
6
7
For a comprehensive overview of the Decisions, see Appendix 2 to this report.
An overview of different areas of police-related activities is provided in Appendix 3 and 4 to this report.
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