POLICE-RELATED ACTIVITIES OF FIELD OPERATIONS SOUTH-EASTERN EUROPE On 12 November, the Mission organized a training workshop for two LPSCs in the Novo Brdo/Novobërdë municipality. The event brought together ten LPSC members and four KP officers to discuss topics, which included the role and responsibilities of LPSCs, gender equality representation on LPSCs and the level of progress made, the identification and response to hate crimes, and addressing community security issues. The workshop was relevant as the Novo Brdo/ Novobërdë municipality does not currently have a Municipal Community Safety Council (MCSC) and, as such, lacks a municipal platform for dialogue on security issues faced by the local community14. As a result of the workshop, both LPSCs can now perform an enhanced role in community security, inter-community relations and engagement with local and central security institutions. On 16 December, the Mission supported the KP and LPSCs in organizing the 19th LPSC Executive Council Meeting. Among others, the event was attended by the Minister of Local Government Administration, Head of Mission, Norwegian Ambassador, General Secretary in the Ministry for Communities and Return (MoCR), officials of the MoIA, Mayor of Vushtrri/Vučitrn, Deputy General Director of the KP, chairpersons and members of LPSCs, representatives of ICITAP, Mission and media. The meeting served to identify best practices, promote information-sharing amongst LPSCs regarding their progress, assess the successes and challenges, and improve their co-operation with the police and relevant institutions. During the event, it was noted that LPSCs enable mayors to obtain important information that can be used to prevent crimes and increase the security and public safety. Mayors were also encouraged to find optimal modalities to support community safety forums and work together for the benefit of all communities. Municipal Community Safety Councils On 19 March, the Mission organized a roundtable event to support the development of Municipal Community Safety Council (MCSC) work plans, addressing specific communities’ safety and security concerns in the Prishtinë/ Priština, Obiliq/Obilić, Lipjan/Lipljan, Fushë Kosovë/Kosovo Polje and Shtime/Štimlje municipalities. All 27 participants shared best practices and recommended organizing further inter-municipal MCSC meetings involving mayors and drafting action plans addressing specific communities’ concerns. Participants also committed themselves to integrating gender equality considerations into their respective action plans. 14 Municipal Community Safety Councils (MCSCs) were established in municipalities to institutionalize co-operation between municipal institutions, communities and the police. To date, there are 33 established MCSCs with the exception of Novo Brdo/ Novobërdë (which has not functioned since October 2017 due to the expiration of its mandate after local elections) along with four that remain to be established in the north. On 19 April, the Mission organized a roundtable discussion on community security issues affecting the Pejë/Peć, Klinë/ Klina and Istog/Istok municipalities. The event gathered 24 members from the KP, MCSCs, LPSCs, municipal offices for communities and return (MOCRs) and representatives of non-majority communities from these municipalities. While the level of co-operation between institutions, police, and non-majority communities’ representatives in the MCSC was seen as positive, it was nevertheless agreed that more information could be shared. Participants also recommended that the MCSCs not only needed to react to security incidents, but also develop activities to prevent them. MCSC coordinators were also invited to include activities proposed by community representatives in their annual work plans, while it was recommended that the composition of each MCSC be further enlarged by including officials from judiciary. A further recommendation was that all MCSC members be issued with an official municipal badge to reinforce their role and status. On 30 April, the Mission organized a workshop targeting MCSCs to discuss new guidelines for local-level mechanisms on how to respond to incidents affecting communities, developed jointly by the MoCR, MoIA and Ministry for Local Government Administration. The workshop gathered 51 participants, including deputy mayors, deputy chairpersons of the municipal assembly for communities, heads of MOCRs, MCSC co-ordinators and members, representatives of religious communities, KP station commanders and other municipal bodies from Prishtinë/Priština, Gračanica/ Graçanicë, Fushë Kosovë/Kosovo Polje, Lipjan/Lipljan, Obiliq/Obilić and Shtime/Štimlje municipalities. During the event, it was agreed that co-operation of MCSCs with the KP was key for the proper functioning of the MCSC, noting that this should be functioning in all communities. Several recommendations were also proposed as a way to strengthen the guidelines by incorporating best practices received from municipalities in the region. The increased presence of the KP in those locations where communities in numerical minorities reside, and specifically at return sites, was seen as key. Participants also proposed amending the Administrative Instruction on MCSC, requesting more competences for MCSCs. On 10 May, the Mission organized a workshop on capacitybuilding for new members of MCSC from the Prizren region. The event gathered 32 participants, including MCSC representatives, deputy mayors, MCSC co-ordinators, heads of MOCRs, and communities’ representatives from each of the six municipalities in the region. During the workshop, participants were briefed on the process of establishing MCSCs, on outstanding gaps and any non-compliance issues. They were also introduced to the duties and responsibilities 63