4.5 Mission to Serbia Criminal Investigations and Analysis On 8 November, the Mission, together with the POOC and the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), organized an event to mark the conclusion of a three-year project which provided the Prosecution Services with advanced software to handle and analyse complex investigative data. As a result, the Prosecution Services’ technological capabilities to analyse large amounts of data pertaining to the investigation of cases of organized crime, terrorism and corruption have been enhanced. This project was part of the Mission’s overall efforts to enhance the capacities of the POOC to combat organized crime in a more efficient and effective manner. Financial Investigations, Anti-Money Laundering and Seizures of Criminal Proceeds Illicit Drugs and Chemical Precursors In the period from 20 October to 2 December, the Mission, together with the MoI’s Criminal Investigation Directorate, organized four district-level workshops on the topic of financial investigations. The workshops gathered 125 participants from the police, prosecution and judiciary from Niš, Leskovac, Vranje, Prokuplje, Zajecar, Pirot, Bor, Kragujevac, Novi Sad and Belgrade. The Mission’s expert and three police experts from the MoI’s Service for Combatting Organized Crime provided their expertise and facilitated the workshops. The purpose of the workshops was to foster co-operation through deepening the mutual understanding needed for an efficient, joint fight against economic crime. This activity was a part of the overall Mission’s efforts to enhance capacity of police, prosecution and judiciary to combat trans-national, organized and serious crime. From 3 to 14 October, the Mission supported the attendance of six officers from the Criminal Investigations Directorate of the MoI in an advanced two-week training course in Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation. Russian experts shared lessons learned and best practices with Serbian participants on issues related to countering drug smuggling, including the investigation of drug-related crimes, use of forensic technology in the detection and investigation of these crimes, and handling of informants. This course contributed to further co-operation between the criminal police services of Serbia and the Russian Federation, and was part of the Mission’s efforts to enhance the capacities of the police to combat serious and organized crime. Cross-Border Co-operation in Criminal Matters On 4 March, the Mission organized a roundtable to present guidelines for applying the principle of non-punishment of victims of human trafficking in Novi Sad. Some forty participants, including judges, prosecutors and police representatives from the jurisdiction of the Novi Sad High Court, learned about the OSCE’s recommendations for the implementation of the non-punishment principle for victims of human trafficking for their involvement in crimes committed as a consequence or in the course of being trafficked. This activity lies within the framework of the Mission’s wider efforts to support victims of crime. From 22 to 25 February, the Mission organized the visit of ten high officials from the MoI, the Security Information Agency, and the Military Security and Intelligence Agencies to Rome. The purpose of the visit was to enhance co-operation between Serbia and Italy in combating organized crime, especially preventing and combating terrorism and radicalization. The MoI State Secretary met with the Deputy Minister of the Interior and the State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Italy. The Serbian delegation also met with representatives from the Italian Police, the Service for combating terrorism, the Cyber Crime Department and the Service for suppressing drugs, as well as the Chief Prosecutor for Organized Crime. This activity was part of the Mission’s overall efforts to foster a national strategic approach to combating trans-national crimes. 86 From April to October, the Mission supported the participation of four MoI representatives and three representatives of the Academy for Criminalistic and Police Studies at five Montenegro Police Academy roundtables aimed at discussing education and training matters. The overall objective was to assist a process of curriculum revision and alignment with modern police education and training standards and developments. The roundtables gathered police education and training experts in the areas of police legislation, police duties and competencies, special physical education, criminology and traffic safety from the police services of Albania, BiH, Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, as well as from Kosovo. The Mission supported this initiative within its overall goal of assisting regional police co-operation. Trafficking in Human Beings & Migration-related Crime On 21 November, the Head of Mission signed an MoU with the State Public Prosecutor on the donation of two vehicles and IT equipment to the Task Force on Migration. The Task Force was established by the MoI and the State Prosecutor’s Office to investigate and prosecute cases of smuggling and trafficking of migrants. This initiative was part of the Mission’s wider efforts to support prosecutors and the police in combating migrant smuggling and trafficking.