POLICE-RELATED ACTIVITIES OF FIELD OPERATIONS SOUTH-EASTERN EUROPE Border Affairs was crucial to the success of collecting and analysing such a large amount of data. The TNA’s aim was to establish whether there was a "gap" in the MoI’s management/ leadership training for first- and mid-level management positions, to draw conclusions from the data gathered, and to produce recommendations and implementation guidelines for the development of a future management/leadership training in the MoI. On 20 December, in response to one of the TNA report’s recommendations, a “Curriculum on First-Line Management” training was produced by an external consultant, who was commissioned by the Mission. The curriculum was handed over to the MoI’s Training Centre. Human Rights and Police Accountability From 28 to 30 March, the Mission and the MoI delivered a workshop for police officers on the treatment of crime victims as part of the Mission’s Democratic Policing portfolio. At the workshop, MoI officials presented a guidebook on providing necessary care and support to victims. The guidebook, which had been developed with Mission support, includes comprehensive information on victim rights and police obligations towards them. Local and international experts delivered presentations on the legal provisions regulating the treatment of victims, communication with them and providing them with support. The aim of this activity was to raise awareness among police professionals on how to properly deal with crime victims and to better protect their rights. This activity will be further cascaded into the respective organizational units. Gender and Ethnic Mainstreaming On 19 and 20 April, 10 and 11 May and 5 and 6 June, the Mission organized two-day workshops targeting the SIAs Kumanovo, Tetovo and Skopje. The events focused on policing in multi-ethnic and multicultural societies and were attended by a total of 81 front-line police officers, who exchanged information and their experiences related to multicultural policing. The aim of the event was to further increase the participants’ awareness of cultural sensitivities in the realm of law enforcement and cultural diversity, fostering their ability to understand different cultures, as well as to explore various methods of bridging cultural barriers by building trust and a rapport. From 18 to 20 April, as part of its gender equality activities, the Mission supported the Women’s Section of the Police Union in training 23 female police officers on basic gender awareness, communication skills and the mentoring process. The workshop took place in Skopje. The participants had been selected at the beginning of 2018 among female police officers with less than five years working experience. The activity is part of the Mission’s Mentoring Programme and aims to help young women police employees to better orient themselves in a male-dominated working environment, recognize and overcome obstacles in their relationships with colleagues, and identify opportunities that may lead to their professional self-development, while encouraging gender equality at the work place. On 22 May, the Mission organized a one-day kick-off workshop for 44 women mentors and mentees in the police. The event was part of the second phase of the “Mentoring Programme for women in the police”, organized in co-operation with the Police Union. The Programme was launched in 2017 with a group of 24 mentors receiving basic mentoring and gender training. In April 2018, a group of 24 mentees were also trained. At the kick-off workshop, both groups met for the first time and were presented to each other as mentor-mentee pairs. At the event, they were instructed on how to conduct their work in pairs, handling possible gender-related issues at work. Both the mentor and mentee groups received toolkits and guidebooks, the mentoring agreement, a map of the mentoring process, and tools to evaluate the mentoring process. On 24 August, the Mission supported the Women’s Section of the Police Union in organizing a regional workshop for the women’s/gender sections of regional police unions. The activity aimed to support the Women’s Section of the Police Union with its efforts for gender equality in the police’s maledominated working environment. At the workshop, the police delegations from Skopje, Sofia, Podgorica, Prishtine/ Priština and Tirana presented their structures, relevant legislation, working programmes, activities and good practices. The Director of the Society and Safety Foundation of Bulgaria gave a presentation on “Gender Equality’s policies and the motivation of the Bulgarian Women to work in the Ministry of Interior”, which encouraged a discussion on possible mutual activities of the sections. It is expected that the workshop will foster the co-operation among police unions on gender mainstreaming and support the efforts for gender balance in law enforcement. From 8 to 10 October, the Mission organized an “Advanced workshop for the mentors from the mentoring programme for women in police”, which is part of the Mission’s Mentoring Programme. The workshop was led by the Mission with support of the Women’s Section of the Police Union. In total, 30 mentors and mentees participated in the event. The workshop included training on setting objectives, asking questions, time management skills, non-verbal communication, and activities to support bonding between mentors and mentees. On the last day of the workshop, the mentees joined their more experienced colleagues and held one additional meeting of selected mentor-mentee pairs. 99