SOUTHERN CAUCASUS 4.9 The OSCE Office in Baku Background The Police Assistance Programme (PAP) for Azerbaijan is based upon a needs assessment conducted by the SPMU in 2003. The assessment had identified three main areas of policing that required international support: the development of a community policing model; a review of the curriculum at the Centre for Police Induction Training; the introduction of best practicebased teaching methods; and the development and introduction of a modern curriculum for traffic police training. Since the initial introduction of the PAP, further activities, programmes and projects have been implemented, and the Office succeeded to maintain the amount of resources devoted to police assistance. In 2010, the police-related activities of the Office were implemented by five international and four national mission members. Police Education On 5-6 May, the Office participated in an AEPC (Association of European Police Colleges) Conference in Tbilisi that was dedicated to issues related to the implementation of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) in the sphere of police education. At a side-event, the Office met with the Georgian Minister of Internal Affairs and other senior Ministry staff to discuss regional police co-operation. On 16-17 June, the Office on invitation of the AEPC, attended the annual conference and governing board meeting in Istanbul. The conference was dedicated to police education at the university level, problems and perspectives. Community Policing Consistent with the OSCE visits conducted at the end of 2009, and following consultations with the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Office developed a project that aimed at facilitating the effective introduction of modern community policing practices in ten project sites (Mingechevir, Shirvan, Ganja, Gazakh, Tar-Tar, Yevlakh, Shabran, Khachmaz, Guba, Narimanov district of Baku) of Azerbaijan. From 5-11 April, the Office facilitated a study visit of fifteen senior police officers to Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir. The participants met with their respective counterparts and learned about the implementation of community policing principles in Turkey. During the visits, emphasis was given to topics related to police-media relations, the inclusion of NGO' s and other interested parties in the community Policing Project and effective tools to build reliable police-public partnerships. On 16 April, the Office attended a ceremony dedicated to the establishment of a Citizen Advisory Group (CAG) in Lankaran district. The establishment of CAG' s contribute to spreading the community policing philosophy throughout the country and enable the active participation of the civil society in crime prevention. 72