2. ACTIVITIES OF THE STRATEGIC POLICE MATTERS UNIT Background The primary role of the Strategic Police Matters Unit (SPMU) is to provide police-related support to the OSCE Secretary General, the Chairperson-in-Office, and upon their request, to the OSCE participating States. The SPMU’s mission is to support policing in all OSCE participating States as part of the rule of law and fundamental democratic principles and, through assessment and expert advice, to contribute to the development of accountable police agencies that protect and serve the public. The SPMU’s long-term goals aim to provide a democratic vision of policing for the entire OSCE region and put that vision to work by assisting OSCE participating States in police capacity and institution-building and improving police performance within the broader objective of strengthening national criminal justice systems. The vision will thus guide capacity-building aimed at creating competence to tackle transnational threats, including those emanating from organized crime and terrorism. The SPMU explores every opportunity to also include participants from Partners for Cooperation, in particular from Afghanistan, in its capacity-building events. Furthermore, the Senior Police Adviser and his staff provide expert advice and assistance to the participating States. High-level meetings with the Ministers of Interior, Head/Directors of Police and Police Academies and directors of departments responsible for ensuring police accountability and the protection of human rights, as well as dealing with public order management and combating organized crime, terrorism, and trafficking in drugs were held during 2010. In 2010, the Unit continued assisting the field operations and participating States in developing police training and in organizing study tours for law enforcement representatives from participating Sates to other countries and institutions where they could observe and learn about other practices and standards in various fields of policing. In 2010, the SPMU also continued facilitating the exchange of information and the coordination of police-related activities among the relevant OSCE executive structures. On 1920 May, the regular annual meeting with the OSCE staff managing police-related activities in field operations took place in Vienna as a side event of the Annual Police Experts Meeting (APEM) 2010. Discussions focused on the recommendations of the Report by the OSCE Secretary General on Police-Related Activities up to the End of 2009, the challenges to streamline and co-ordinate efforts in police-related activities and how to best utilize the Policing OnLine Information System (POLIS). From 12-13 October, the SPMU organized a second meeting of the Heads of Law Enforcement Departments to address issues of common interest which could not have been dealt with in May. The SPMU used the opportunity of the October meeting to invite representatives from other thematic units in the Secretariat as well as from interested delegations of the participating States to exchange views with the field operations on policerelated activities. Assessment of a Decade of OSCE Police-Related Activities In response to Permanent Council Decision 914 of 6 December 2009, the SPMU prepared the Report by the OSCE Secretary General on Police-Related Activities of the OSCE Executive Structures up to the End of 2009.7 The report’s findings were based on a 7 See OSCE, Report by the OSCE Secretary General on Police-Related Activities of the OSCE Executive Structures up to the End of 2009, SEC.GAL/62/10, Vienna, 31 March 2010. 15