4.6 Mission to Skopje
activity. The launch, held at the MoIA, was attended by senior
police management, including the Director of Police. The
INTEL DATA software aims to increase the effectiveness of
gathering, storing, sharing and analysing all intelligence data
handled by the police. The software will also provide for the
digitalization of all communication at the local, regional and
central levels.
On 26 August, the Mission provided three vehicles to the
MoIA. The Director of Police received the vehicles, which will
be used in the Sector for Internal Affairs (SIA) in Tetovo, the
Regional Centre for Border Affairs North, and the Regional
Centre for Border Affairs South.
On 29 and 30 September, the Mission, in co-operation with
the MoIA, organized a two-day seminar to foster internal cooperation and co-ordination between the Uniformed Police
and Criminal Investigation Departments (CIDs). The target
group consisted of the Heads of Uniformed Police and Heads
of Criminal Investigation Departments from the eight SIAs
throughout the country, as well as selected Police Station
Commanders, Inspectors for General Crime and Police
Advisers from the MoIA. The purpose of the workshop was
to encourage police officers to work effectively together
and to develop intra-departmental co-operation in order to
increase the efficiency of police investigations and deliver
more effective police services to citizens.
Human Rights and Police Accountability
From 14 to 16 September, the Mission supported the MoIA
in organizing a Working Group to develop a “Victim’s Rights”
poster. The Working Group drafted the text and designed
the poster, which contained comprehensive information on
victims’ rights, as well as the role of the police in providing
care to victims of crime. The poster will be distributed and
displayed in all Police Stations throughout the country.
Gender and Ethnic Mainstreaming
On 29 and 30 June, the Mission organized a two-day
workshop for 22 members of the Police Union on countering
gender-based discrimination, with the aim of advancing the
position of women in police services and increasing gender
sensitivity amongst police officers. The workshop, held
in Ohrid, was part of the Mission’s programme to support
the democratization of the police, and was in line with the
Mission’s efforts to encourage gender equality in all areas of
society.
On 11 and 14 July, the Mission, in co-operation with the Tetovo
SIA, organized two roundtable discussions entitled “The
Role of Women in Enhancing Security in the Community”.
46 participants representing different communities in Tetovo
and Gostivar, as well as crime and prevention police officers,
90
attended the events. The roundtables provided an interactive
forum where women gave their perspectives on policing and
safety.
Community Policing, Police-Public
Relations and Crime Prevention
On 3 June and 15 June, the Mission, in co-operation with
police officers from the Kumanovo SIA, organized two
roundtable discussions in Lipkovo on the role of women in
creating safer communities. The participants included 14
women in the first roundtable and 12 in the second from
different ethnic backgrounds and professions, with each
of them engaged in their communities on a regular basis.
The aim of the roundtables was to identify how women
can contribute to policing, safety and security in their
own communities. A number of recommendations were
agreed upon, including organizing Citizen Advisory Group
meetings in the localities where participants are living, as
well as encouraging women to attend.
On 11 and 12 July, the Mission, in co-operation with the
MoIA, organized a two-day workshop in Ohrid on policing in
a multi-ethnic society. 40 police officers of different ethnicities
working in Ohrid and Bitola police station/office attended
the event and exchanged information and experiences
related to multi-ethnic policing. The workshop also served as
a platform for generating ideas on future measures to foster
the effective functioning of ethnically mixed police units,
as well as to ensure the acceptance and equal treatment of
police officers from non-majority communities.
Hate Crime
By the end of 2016, a group of 25 police hate crime trainers,
who completed a Training of Trainers on Hate Crimes for
Law Enforcement (TAHCLE) developed by ODIHR in
2015, had conducted a total of 67 one-day training sessions
countrywide, cascading the knowledge on hate crimes to
1,259 police officers.
Simultaneously, the Mission continued to build the capacities
of 25 police hate crime trainers who attended a two-day
seminar in September to evaluate the progress made in
implementing the “cascade training” to police officers.
Additionally, they practiced presentation skills, discussed
hate crime issues and worked to identify the next steps for
overcoming gaps in existing police practices.
At the managerial level, the Mission organized regional hate
crime workshops in eight SIAs: Skopje, Kumanovo, Tetovo,
Ohrid, Bitola, Stip, Strumica and Veles. 182 SIA managers,
of which 17 are women, advanced their understanding on
the nature of hate crimes and the importance of a robust
police response to the issue. They had an opportunity
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