Criminal Investigation Directorate. This was the third cycle of the Training on the PEACE
model of Investigative Interviewing Techniques. The curricula was expected to be revised
and amended early in 2014 based on the inputs and comments given by participants and the
trainers of all three pilot courses to fit the attributes of the current legal framework and police
procedures on interviewing in Serbia. This revised curriculum was to be presented to the
Minister of Interior for his formal approval after which it would be incorporated into the inservice professional development programme of the Ministry, ensuring sustainability of the
Mission’s efforts.
On 16 July, the Mission, in co-operation with the OSCE Mission to Skopje and police
services of Serbia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, facilitated a preparatory
meeting in Skopje to prepare a cross-border law enforcement co-operation exercise between
the two neighbouring countries in special investigative measures, to be conducted in
September. The objective of the simulation exercise was to test the deployment of covert
surveillance teams and equipment in a cross-border setting and to test cross-border police
co-operation. The exercise also aimed to foster mutual trust between law enforcement
officials of Serbia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, since both services are
signatories to the Police Cooperation Convention for Southeast Europe (PCC SEE). The
Mission also used the visit to Skopje to pave the way for developing another regional project
on “Enhancing Capacities for Strategic Analysis and Strategic Assessments in the Criminal
Investigation Directorates of the Serbian, Macedonian and Montenegrin Ministries of Interior”,
which was preliminary approved to be funded from the Swiss Regional Police Cooperation
Programme in the Western Balkans (SPCP).
On 3-4 September, the Mission organized a workshop for police professionals from Serbia,
Montenegro and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in Belgrade to agree on
objectives of the future regional project that would enhance capacities of the criminal police
to develop strategic threat assessments in line with Europol standards. The workshop was
also used to share information among the representatives of the three countries in terms of
strategic analysis of operational intelligence; production of strategic threat assessment
reports; and the current level of expertise.
Following-up to the preparatory meeting in July, the Police Affairs Department of the Mission
to Skopje and the Mission’s LED co-organized the live simulation exercise from 25 to 27
September for law enforcement agencies from Serbia and the former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia. The objective of the exercise was to test the deployment of covert surveillance
teams and equipment in a cross border setting with the aim to enhance the cross-border cooperation of law enforcement officers using a real life exercise. The exercise also contributed
to the implementation of the PCC SEE, by introducing European best practices, exchange of
expertise and harmonisation of practices in the identified priority areas of co-operation,
including cross-border surveillance and hot pursuit, undercover investigations, exchange of
information on forged and fake travel documents etc.
On 17 December, the Mission facilitated the meeting of representatives of Operational
Analytics Departments from the MoIs of Serbia, Montenegro and the former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia. The objective of the meeting was to present the findings of the
Project Manager`s visit to EUROPOL, which acts in advisory capacity to the project, and to
agree on concrete further steps of project preparations. It was agreed that at a follow-up
meeting in January 2014, focal points would give presentations on current intelligence
gathering processes within their respective ministries. This would serve as a baseline for
future capacity building to enable the three police services to produce a strategic analysis
report on emerging and changing trends in transnational organized crime, i.e. regional
SOCTA (Serious Organized Crime Threat Assessment).
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