service facilities of the Intelligence Academy and the Counter-terrorism Academy of the Turkish National Police, as well as the Regional Units of the Intelligence Department. During the study-visit, ASC staff obtained valuable experience and knowledge on in-service training in the field of counter-terrorism and intelligence gathering. Border Policing In 2013, the Mission’s Monitoring Unit and the PDU facilitated regular Joint Border Coordination Meetings (JBCMs) in a co-operative manner. The meetings served as a forum for dialogue and information sharing on the security aspects/concerns on the border between the host country and Kosovo, as well as for co-ordination of operative activities across the border, including joint patrolling. These meetings were attended by the main stakeholders concerned from all sides: Kosovo Border Police (KBP), the host country’s Border Police, KFOR, the US Embassy Skopje and the OSCE Mission. JBCMs proved to be a useful mechanism for closely following security related developments across the border, and for discussing and deciding upon concerted actions to detect criminal activities in the border zone and prevent illegal cross-border movements. In order to strengthen the existing cross-border co-operation among neighboring countries, the PDU also focused on supporting the MoIA in the establishment of a Common Contact Centre (CCC) at the border crossing point of Tabanovce between the host country and Serbia by providing technical equipment. The establishment of the CCC was complemented with a two-day border management training, held in September 2013, regarding tackling possible transnational threats for ten border police officials of the Interior Ministries of both countries. The official inauguration of the CCC − Tabanovce took place on 28 December 2013. As a result, the cross-border co-operation between Serbia and the host country has been strengthened, contributing to a better exchange of analytical and operational information to fight transnational organized crime between the two countries. In September, the PDU also organized a joint host country − Serbia regional cross-border exercise on special investigative techniques. The main objective was to strengthen the operational links of the Ministries of Internal Affairs and the Police Departments of both neighboring countries – with a special focus on the application and conduct of special investigative techniques. Representatives of both national counterparts participated in this cross-border exercise. After completion of the field stage of the exercise, the officials of both sides discussed its legal aspects at a joint debriefing session. As a result of this exercise, several key deficiencies and loopholes in the operational links on combatting Transnational Threats between the host country and Serbia were highlighted. Co-operation with other Missions and Partner Organizations In 2013, the PDU regularly co-operated with a broad range of external partners in order to better serve its mandate and role in the host country. Besides the long-standing collaboration with the MoIA, the PDU closely collaborated with other OSCE field operations in the region, particularly the Presence in Albania, Mission in Kosovo, and the Mission to Serbia to strengthen co-operation in the field of combating organized crime. A partnership with the Turkish Police was renewed in 2013 to further strengthen the institutional capacities of police officers in operational and strategic criminal intelligence skills. Other partners included (but were not limited to) the Embassies of Austria, France, Hungary, Italy, Poland, the United States/ICITAP, and the EU Delegation in Skopje. 105