POLICE-RELATED ACTIVITIES OF FIELD OPERATIONS SOUTH-EASTERN EUROPE riding techniques as well as dealing with police actions such as apprehension, checking IDs, use of means of coercion, stopping vehicles and using firearms. The Mission donated three bikes and uniforms to the unit. The Bike Unit in Ohrid was established in 2013 with Mission support and continues to contribute to the faster movement of police in touristic areas, reinforcing theirs visible police presence and accessibility. On 5 and 6 June, to enhance the level of partnership on crime prevention in multi-ethnic communities, the Mission organized a workshop in Skopje “Strengthening cooperation between the Police and representatives of civil society and local self-government institutions”. Facilitated by international experts, the workshop was aimed at 25 officials from the police, CSOs and Local Prevention Councils from Gazi-Baba, Chair and Shuto Orizari municipalities. During the training, participants addressed specific local security problems and developed a joint plan on problem resolution. From 10 to 12 July, the Mission organized a joint workshop in Berovo for Heads of the MoIA’s Prevention Units and WG members tasked with drafting the Strategy on Communication and Community Engagement. During the workshop, the Mission presented police best practice in serving the community, while the General Secretary of the Chamber of Private Security presented opportunities for public-private partnership in crime prevention. WG members also conducted focus group discussions to verify strategic priorities in the newly drafted strategy. Recommendations from prevention inspectors were taken into full consideration during the workshop given that they are one of the key groups who will contribute to implementing the strategy over the next three years. Gender-Based Violence From 10 June to 27 September, with the aim of improving the quality of police reactions to cases of domestic violence and gender-based violence and to strengthen the capacities of mid-level management officers in assessing the case and to decide about appropriate coercive measures, in co-operation with MoIA, the Mission conducted four workshops in Ohrid on “Enhancing Police Gender Sensitivity in cases of Domestic Violence and Gender Based Violence”. In total, 87 officials (including police officers from Sectors of Interior Bitola, Ohrid, Strumica and Veles together with representatives of Centres for Social Work) participated in the workshops. This was the first time that police officers and social welfare specialists had jointly received training on DV, allowing them to exchange experiences and to discuss how to improve levels of inter-institutional co-operation. The Law for the protection of victims of DV and risk assessment in DV/GBV cases was also presented during the workshops as were the obligations of the police in the prevention and combating of DV and GBV. The closing event of the ‘Mentoring Programme for Women in Police’: a group of mentees evaluating the programme and providing recommendations, Skopje, 15 November 2019. (Mission to Skopje) Hate Crime On 27 February, building upon its Hate Speech project in 2018, in co-operation with the Police and Tetovo municipality, the Mission organized a painting exhibition in Tetovo. In addition, first-year high-school students from Tetovo attended lectures on understanding and preventing hate speech while also participating in a painting competition. Out of the 20 pieces of art presented during the event, ten students received prizes by the Mission. Public Order and Crisis Management From 16 to 21 September, the Mission organized two workshops in Struga and Veles on critical incident/crisis management, covering half of the SIAs, for all police station commanders from the respective SIAs, as well as representatives of the Crisis Management Centre, Directorate for Protection and Rescue, as well as fire and ambulance services. During both workshops, UK experts outlined the operational approach of the UK emergency services during critical incidents/crisis situations, the service developments over the past 20 years, and use of the ‘gold’, ‘silver’ and ‘bronze’ command system to co-ordinate incidents. As a result of the workshops, participants were better able to identify the gaps and weaknesses in co-ordination, co-operation and communication between the local crisis management institutions. 95