POLICE-RELATED ACTIVITIES OF FIELD OPERATIONS SOUTH-EASTERN EUROPE visit, participants met with representatives of the respective committee in the Croatian parliament and with officials in the MoJ, where they were introduced to the current polices of victim and witness support, as well as to Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure Law articles related to hate crimes. The visit also equipped participants with the knowledge, best practice and challenges encountered in recording and prosecuting hate crimes, which is expected to assist them in proposing potential amendments to the domestic legislation on hate crimes as well as in improving the overall response to bias-motivated incidents. During October, in co-operation with the KP, the Mission facilitated eight one-day workshops in all police regions with the aim of enhancing the capacities of LPSCs and police members to support the victims of hate crimes at the local level. In total, around 150 participants received information about the hate crime concept and components of hate speech and learned about the methods for addressing both. The Mission also familiarized participants with the content, importance, and usage of the recently designed hate crime pocket cards with the KP, which will assist the KP in identifying potential hate crimes and bias indicators. From 13 November to 11 December, upon a request from the KP, the Mission facilitated a set of eight workshops in all police regions for 140 police officers and 14 prosecutors on the latest amendments to the Criminal Code. During each workshop, experts from the Prosecution’s Office presented the amendments with a focus on provisions relating to hate crimes17. The discussions that followed involved the accurate qualification of criminal offences and effective enforcement of the new provisions in the Criminal Code during the investigation and prosecution of bias motivated crimes. On 13 December, the Mission facilitated a roundtable to review the implementation progress of the “Co-operation Agreement in Addressing Hate Crimes”. In line with the Agreement, which entails the responsibilities of the MoIA, KP, Chief Prosecutors Office and KJC in tackling hate crimes, the Mission supported the beneficiaries in its implementation with the aim of improving the overall response to hate crimes. The roundtable enabled seven representatives from these institutions to discuss and assess the progress achieved in 2018 and 2019, present obstacles encountered, plan future activities as well as develop an action plan for 2020. Specialized Investigations Units / Forensics From 11 to 13 March, the Mission delivered a specialized training course on the identification and examination of newly developed drug types to 13 police investigators of trafficking with narcotics unit, four police crime technicians and three KAF forensic experts. The course helped to equip participants with knowledge on the identification of new drugs, with a particular focus placed on synthetic drugs, as well as with effective skills in investigating cases involving illegal production and trafficking of synthetic drugs. Participants also received training on how to investigate cases involving illegal laboratories, forensic methods for examining synthetic drugs, and preparation of examination reports for the court. From 3 to 5 June, the Mission facilitated a specialised training seminar for three experts of the KAF on Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis18 in Freiburg. The training familiarized participants with the opportunities and limitations regarding the analysis of DNA samples, and with the latest technology and techniques used in mtDNA analysis. Forensic experts were also provided with the chance to work together in specific cases with the available technology of their hosting counterparts. The course enabled the experts to exchange experiences and discuss potential challenges in mtDNA analysis and its impact on criminal investigations. From 10 to 14 June, the Mission organized specialized training workshop on international standards for forensic services19 for 11 senior managers and experts of the KAF. The training provided participants with enhanced knowledge of forensic quality assurance requirements, focusing on the practicalities of internal quality assurance document control, co-ordination of quality management systems for internal auditing, and the measurements of uncertainty during testing. During the training, practical exercises were conducted, and best practice shared in terms of performing and recording proficiency tests, as one of the main credibility features of forensics work. From 16 to 20 September, the Mission organized an advanced training course for 20 crime scene examiners and investigators in the KP, and three forensic agency’s examiners on reconstructing a crime scene and analysing and interpreting evidence found. The course improved participants’ skills in using various methods to reconstruct a 18 17 The Criminal Code was published in the Official Gazette on 14 January 2019, entering into force three months after publication. The changes include amendments to the definition of hate crime mirrored in Article 70, paragraph 2, item 2.12, followed by criminal offences of light bodily injury, grievous bodily injury, destruction or damage to property, aggravated murder and assault, if committed with bias motivation or on the grounds enlisted in the Code as protected characteristics. Mitochondrial DNA  (mtDNA) has provided  forensic  scientists with a valuable tool for determining the source of DNA recovered from damaged, degraded or small biological samples. https://www.nij.gov/topics/forensics/evidence/dna/research/ pages/mitochondrial.aspx 19 ISO/IEC 17025:2017 specifies the general requirements for the competence, impartiality, and consistent operation of laboratories. https://www.iso.org/ standard/66912.html. 67