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 On 9 and 10 May, the Mission supported a workshop to discuss the first draft of the 2019-2024 Police Human Resources Management (HRM) Strategy, together with the Norwegian Centre for Integrity in the Defence Sector (CIDS) and representatives of the Ministry of the Interior. The workshop provided an opportunity for 15 participants to discuss strengthening of HRM and planning within the police, improvements to the police education system, and means of identifying high-quality candidates and introducing a meritbased promotion system and gender equality. The Strategy and Action Plan are key policy initiatives to strengthen the professionalization of the police and should reflect the vision, priorities and needs of the Police Directorate and the MoI, including indicators that effectively measure results that were achieved. From 14 to 16 May, the Mission and the Police Academy of Montenegro held a three-day seminar on police leadership and modern-day practices in managing a security department. Eleven senior officials from the Ministries of the Interior, of Foreign Affairs, of Defence, as well as from the Institute for Execution of Criminal Sanctions, the Maritime Safety Administration, the Customs Administration and the National Security Agency were introduced to contemporary security issues of small countries within the context of the SEE and EU States. Security topics included employee relations, risk management, terrorism, information security, access control, investigations, substance abuse, workplace violence and emergency management. Participants emphasized the importance of maintaining security system management on the agenda of Montenegro’s Police Academy and security sector institutions in the forthcoming period. Hate Crime On 29 May, 18 September and 23 October, the Mission organized, in co-operation with the Centre for Training in Judiciary and State Prosecution, training courses on hate crime for around 85 judges and prosecutors from across Montenegro. Participants were introduced to the definition of and international legal provisions relating to hate crime and examined the practices and precedents of the European Court of Human Rights and the work of the United Nations Human Rights Committee. This event is part of the Mission’s crossprogrammatic project to raise public awareness and support the response of law enforcement and judicial institutions to hate crime. Specialized Investigations Units / Forensics On 5 and 6 December, 18 digital experts from forensic centres in Danilovgrad, Sarajevo and Zagreb gathered for a twoday workshop organized by the Mission. They shared their experiences in the forensic examination of mobile phones, along with best practices in applying forensic techniques to digital imaging. The participants concluded that the standardization of forensic examination approaches should be applied throughout the region to enable a more efficient comparison of results from cross-border investigations. They also recognized the need to strengthen research and practice in the collection of digital evidence and to address the increased demand for forensic analysis, reducing the growing backlog in evidence processing. The need to update equipment and provide investigators with continuous training was also emphasized. The workshop was part of the Mission’s long-term support to the MoI and Police Directorate in implementing criminal justice reform and supporting the Danilovgrad Forensic Center to enhance its institutional capacity and enable it to obtain its International Standard of Quality ISO 17025 and membership in the European Network of Forensic Science Institutions (ENFSI). On 14 September, as part of the Mission’s project to strengthen the capacities of the Criminal Police and Forensic Centre and support a comprehensive approach to criminal investigation, the Mission donated a digital evidence analysis workstation and two polygraphs for internal investigation. The donations demonstrate the strategic and horizontal co-operation between the Mission and Montenegro’s law enforcement agencies. Activities Related to Threats Posed by Criminal Activity Cross-Border Co-operation In Criminal Matters The Government of Montenegro, in an effort to detect and deter the movement of FTFs and criminals, identified the implementation of API as a priority in programmatic consultations with the Mission. As of 23 February 2018, the establishment of national API systems became mandatory for all the International Civil Aviation Organization’s Contracting States. The Mission, in close collaboration with the TNTD/ BSMU, is working toward enhancing the Government’s capacity to develop mechanisms to implement an API system. 81