campaign was in line with the implementation of modern procedures and tools to facilitate transparency and effectiveness in the Ministry’s communication with external actors. On 5 February, the material was distributed to the MoI’s Bureau for Cooperation with Media, which organized public events for children in primary schools throughout Serbia. Serbian athletes, including Olympic medal winners, actively participated in the campaign. From 11-12 April (Novi Sad) and 18-19 April (Zlatibor), the Mission organized two sessions of media and communication skills training for the Uniformed Police (i.e. Community Liaison Officers (CLOs)). The aim of this activity was to develop effective communication skills for 60 CLOs who are working on community policing matters throughout Serbia. They were divided into three groups of 20. The training aimed to improve the CLOs’ communication with different target groups, and to improve their appearance in the media. They were also provided with guidelines for organizing efficient meetings with community representatives. Effective communication is a useful tool for CLOs’ operational work as it can be utilized to improve co-ordination of local community stakeholders as well as for better promotion of local community policing activities. Some of the topics that were covered by the training included: means of communication; communication softeners; non-verbal communication; reflection and active listening; media interviews; public speaking; techniques of transferring the message; and ways of handling different questions from journalists. The course was delivered through an interactive approach and involved group work and exercises, including training for on-camera appearances, examples of best practices and case studies. As the training was delivered to the same target group of CLOs trained in action plan development by the Mission in 2012, it was expected that it would further consolidate their knowledge and skills for the future. On 12 July, the Mission supported the presentation of three policy studies on police reform prepared by civil society organizations in Serbia. The policy studies, published under the title The Eighth Issue of the Collection of Policy Papers on the Police Reform in Serbia, analysed the implementation of community policing in Serbia; the role of police in protecting human rights and vulnerable groups; and similarities and differences in the attitudes of citizens and police officers towards corruption in the police service. The Mission supported the studies with the aim of providing neutral research and quality recommendations to the MoI on police reform topics important to all citizens. The topics were agreed upon with the MoI. This exercise also helped build the capacity of the CSOs to develop concise policy recommendations and follow police reform processes in Serbia. The policy studies, prepared by researchers from the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy and the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights, were also made available to the public. On 25-26 October, the Mission organized training on media crisis handling and crisis management to a group of 12 MoI officials dealing with communication and public relations in Babe, near Belgrade. The aim of the seminar was to enhance capacities of relevant MoI staff to efficiently communicate during crisis situations such as disasters, emergencies or other major events. The focus of the training was on the MoI staff’s ability to respond effectively to these events with clear communication strategies and media messages that would help instil confidence in the Ministry and their ability to deal with major events. Therefore, the training sessions focused on media crisis strategies; media crisis handling; and effective communication skills, which were tailored to their needs. The training was delivered by an international expert. From 9-11 December, the Mission organized a study visit for four representatives of the MoI’s Bureau for Cooperation with Media to their counterparts in the Swedish Police Service, to exchange experiences and best practices regarding the police-media communication. The delegation of the Serbian Police visited the Communication Centre at the Stockholm County Police (district level) as well as the Communication Centre at the Swedish National Police Board (central level). Participants discussed various aspects of internal and external 82

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