POLICE-RELATED ACTIVITIES OF FIELD OPERATIONS SOUTH-EASTERN EUROPE Activities Related to General Police Development and Reform Police Development and Reform within Security Sector Reform In 2015, the Presence attended numerous meetings of the comprehensive Working Group on the restructuring of the State Police. During the meetings, the Heads of the Directorates of Public Order, Serious and Organized Crime, Border and Migration, and Support Services presented the main concepts regarding their directorates’ restructuring plans. The Presence provided input, focusing particularly on the restructuring of the Directorate for Serious and Organized Crime and its support in setting up approximately five regional hubs. The Presence also provided suggestions regarding a re-organization of Public Security Units in the regions and a restructuring of the Police Forensic Institute, bearing in mind the objective of working in partnership with the criminal justice community to provide efficient forensic services to address budget constraints and to meet increasing demands from customers. Anti-Corruption On 2 December, the Presence and the National Co-ordinator against Corruption launched a new public information campaign, titled “Show the Face of Corruption”. As part of this campaign, the Presence held a series of interactive discussions on anti-corruption with students at around 30 high schools and universities across the country. In addition, posters and banners are being displayed in several cities as well as on some of the most visited Albanian online portals. These discussions with students are led by well-known respected public figures and aim to engage students in critical thinking on topics such as the nature and causes of corruption, its social, political and economic consequences, and ways to fight it. The Presence also launched an essay competition, titled “Young People Say No to Corruption”, designed to encourage students to reflect on the negative effects of corruption. Community Policing and Police-Public Relations In partnership with the Central Election Commission, the General Prosecutor’s Office, and the Albanian State Police, the Presence has contributed to the training of police officers on their duties in the local elections, and international best practices in this regard. The training sessions, which took place in March and April, targeted directly more than 100 high- and mid-level police officers, including deputy general directors and regional police chiefs. The training in the first phase was targeted at the senior management. The training of trainers course focused on the role of police during the election process and included six groups of trainers who, in turn, delivered the training to over 6,000 police officers. The training was focused on criminal offences related to elections under the terms of the criminal code, the role of the media, and the duties and responsibilities of police spokespersons during the election process. From 21-23 July, the Presence organized a three-day training session on the treatment of juvenile offenders and on the use of an Offender Assessment System for Juveniles and Young Adults (OASJ). Approximately 25 probation officers from across the country as well as members of the General Directorate of the Probation Service were trained on standards and effective approaches to working with juvenile offenders. The training covered effective measures for community-based treatment of juvenile offenders, which promote the reintegration of juveniles into society as well as the development of treatment programmes. The training also included a detailed overview of the OASJ, an assessment form developed in 2014 with the Presence’s assistance. Gender-Based and Domestic Violence From 26-27 August, the Presence and the OSCE Mission to Serbia facilitated a joint study visit of the Albanian State Police representatives to Serbia. The purpose of the visit was to exchange experiences in tackling the phenomenon of domestic violence, both at the policy and the operational level. The discussions were fruitful and both parties showed interest in enhancing bilateral co-operation in this area in the future. In October, a return visit took place in Albania during a campaign against domestic violence organized by the Presence. This exchange of visits prepared the field for regional activity in 2016 on countering domestic violence that will be facilitated by the Presence and the Mission to Serbia. On 15 October, the Presence launched a three day campaign against domestic violence in Gjirokastra in co-operation with the Albanian State Police and Gjirokastra Municipality, following regional campaigns in Korça and Elbasan. The programme included an awareness-raising march involving high school students, patrol police officers, and municipality employees, along the town’s main boulevard. In addition, informative leaflets and brochures on domestic violence were distributed. On 17 October, the Presence facilitated a discussion forum on domestic violence between a group of 50 high school students and parliamentarians. The main issues discussed included the role of the Assembly’s parliamentary sub-committee on minors, gender equality and its contribution to fighting domestic violence, the Assembly’s efficiency in holding relevant government 39