POLICE-RELATED ACTIVITIES OF FIELD OPERATIONS SOUTH-EASTERN EUROPE The following activities are part of a joint project, entitled “Persons without  Documents”, between the Mission, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy and the MoIA. The project aims at assisting the Roma community in obtaining  official documents, generating meaningful discussion, and promoting awareness in the police service on the security aspects of the lack of personal documentation amongst the  Roma community, while simultaneously encouraging  better understanding between police and Roma in areas of common concern. % On 27 February, Mission representatives  attended the launch of the project in Strumica’s SIA. As part of the  project, a manual and flyers on the issue of persons without identity documents  were produced and distributed. % On 3 March, Mission representatives attended the second launch of the project in Stip’s SIA. Six additional launches of the project are planned for the remaining SIA. % On 1 April, Mission representatives attended the launch of the project in Skopje’s SIA  on the premises of the Gazi Baba Police Station where manuals and flyers were distributed. The meeting was led by the  Prevention Division of Skopje’s SIA and included presentations from representatives of the Mission, UNHCR, the MoIA, the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, and the Ministry of Justice. % On 16 April, Mission representatives attended the launch of the project in Bitola’s SIA.  Manuals and flyers were distributed, and representatives of the  Mission, UNHCR, and the Ministry of  Labour and Social Policy held presentations. The Inspector of Prevention at Bitola’s SIAs and a number of NGO’s and other stakeholders also attended the meeting. On 5-6 and 12-13 June, the Mission supported a training-oftrainers course for ten public relations advisors and regional police spokespersons from the MoIA in Skopje. The course aimed at advancing and transferring the skills of the MoIA’s public relations advisors and spokespersons to other police officers, and at raising their awareness on the importance of public relations and communication  with the wider public. Upon completion of the course, the public relations advisors, together with two external consultants, designed a tailor-made workshop for high- and mid-level management from the Ministry’s eight SIAs. Subsequently, 202 managers attended nine workshops on public and media relations in the second half of 2015. On 30 October, the Mission supported a national conference held in Skopje where the Prevention of Extremism leading to Radicalisation and Terrorism (PERT) project, pocket guide, manual, and training course were presented. This conference also promoted the key aims of the project, which are to  strengthen the capacity of police officers to counter violent extremism, to raise awareness  of the benefits of utilizing police-public partnership techniques, and to use a community policing approach to detect indicators of violent extremism and radicalization at an early stage. Hate Crime From 23-29 April, the Mission supported ODIHR in implementing the first two sessions  of the training-oftrainers course on ODIHR’s Training against Hate Crimes for Law  Enforcement (TAHCLE) for 23 police trainers. During the training sessions,  four ODIHR experts trained police officers on effective means to investigate hate crimes to  ensure support for victims. The sessions were designed to raise the awareness of the police trainers on existing stereotypes, intolerance, and discrimination. On 18 December, the Mission organized a training course for 20 police officers as part of its activities in the area of antidiscrimination and hate crime. The training course covered the identification and investigation of hate crimes as well as national and international legal contexts. Specialized Investigations Units / Forensics From 31 August-4 September, the Mission organized an advanced training course on Crime Scene Investigation at the Police Training Centre in Idrizovo, Skopje. Two trainers from the Turkish National Police delivered the course for 20 trainees from the MoIA’s Forensic Department. The course is part of the Mission’s project to improve the functioning of the Forensic Department and to develop its capacity to comply with the procedures prescribed by the new Law on Criminal Procedure. From 5-9 October, the Mission organized a police training course, entitled “The Process of  Investigation: OperationInterview-Evidence”, to  strengthen the operational capacity of the Administration for Security and  Counterintelligence (ASC) in counter-terrorism investigations. The course took place in Ankara and  was delivered by the experts from the Turkish Counter Terrorism Academy. Ten mid- and  highlevel counter-terrorism unit managers from the MoIA’s ASC participated in the course. Public Order and Crisis Management From 20-24 April, the Mission organized a training-oftrainers course on Tonfa (police baton) techniques for 17 police trainers from the MoIA’s Training and Support Unit. The course  was held at the Gjorče Petrov Police Facility in Skopje and was delivered by two experts from  the French National Police. Through their participation in the course, 85