POLICE-RELATED ACTIVITIES OF FIELD OPERATIONS SOUTH-EASTERN EUROPE On 28 November, a working meeting on hate crimes with the four police chiefs from the Srebrenica, Bratunac, Milići and Vlasenica police stations in Srebrenica. The head inspector from the Police Sector of the Zvornik Public Security Centre also attended the event. A two-day training on hate crimes for 22 in-service police inspectors/investigators from RS was held on 13 and 14  December in Banja Luka, in co-operation with the RS Police Academy and in accordance with its hate crimes training curriculum. Activities Related to Threats Posed by Criminal Activity Cross-Border Co-operation in Criminal Matters On 10 and 11 October, the Mission organized a workshop on the implementation of the Integrated Border Management Strategy Action Plan. The OSCE ‘comprehensive border management concept’ entails a whole-of-government approach to border issues. The key idea behind this concept is concentrated on the need for co-operation among the agencies in a highly complex and interconnected environment. This is necessary to achieve a safe and secure environment for the citizens of BiH, as well as to allow BiH to meet its international obligations. Counter-Terrorism & VERLT The Mission, in co-operation with the BiH Ministry of Security, conducted a table-top exercise from 1 to 3 March, which focused on practical recommendations to address the challenges of violent extremism. More than 70 participants representing the government, judiciary, law enforcement agencies, civil society, the media, education and health sectors, religious institutions, and local communities attended the event. Through the simulation of different scenarios, participants recognized the importance of early identification in the prevention of violent extremism. The event concluded with the presentation of policy and programmatic recommendations for the consideration of BiH authorities in the implementation of their Strategy for Preventing and Combatting Terrorism 2015-2020. The tabletop exercise was organized as part of the Mission’s support to enhancing dialogue on countering violent extremism in BiH, and was funded by the Counter Terrorism Bureau of the U.S. State Department On 22 March, the Mission organized a Conference on managing consequences in response to an act of terrorism. The objective of the Conference was to reach the highest level of institutional awareness on issues of terrorism, terrorist acts and their consequences, and to increase BiH security sector’s preparedness for such acts. In addition, the event aimed at initiating the development of a sound and fully applicable protocol for inter-sectoral co-operation and co-ordination, as well as joint capacity building activities related to the subject matter. All this will be done within the framework set by the BiH Counter-Terrorism Strategy that calls for the advancement of inter-institutional and civil-military planning and organization for combating terrorism and the effective mitigation of consequences of acts of terrorism. On 25 August, the Mission and the City of Zvornik organized a workshop on multi-sectoral engagement in countering violent extremism (CVE) in order to raise awareness among participants on the threats, risks and vulnerabilities that characterize violent extremism and the violent radicalization process. The workshop brought together over 30 representatives from local government, security, education and media sectors, as well as representatives of religious communities from the Zvornik region. The workshop aimed to promote an increased understanding between relevant stakeholders in order to build a foundation for local-level partnerships based on trust and mutual understanding. Trafficking in Human Beings & Migration-related Crime From 6 to 10 June, the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) visited BiH to conduct a second round of evaluation on the progress made by BiH in implementing the Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings. The GRETA delegation held meetings with representatives of relevant BiH authorities, civil society and international organizations active in combating trafficking in human beings. As part of this visit, on 6 June, the Mission discussed a number of the issues covered by the Convention, and informed the GRETA delegation of its advisory and supporting role in assisting BiH authorities in effectively combating this crime. On the basis of the information gathered during the visit and the reply from the BiH authorities to GRETA’s questionnaire sent in September 2015, GRETA will prepare a report on the impact of legislative, policy and practical measures in the fight against trafficking in human beings. Other The Mission/SCU members participated in a Workshop titled “Prevention of illegal weapons trade” organized by the Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in cooperation with the Instrument of the European Union for Technical Assistance and Information Exchange (TAIEX), on 26 and 27 April, in Sarajevo. The aim of the workshop 51