POLICE-RELATED ACTIVITIES OF FIELD OPERATIONS CENTRAL ASIA elaborated by the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) Working Group with the participation and support of the programme staff as well as in-depth involvement from civil society in Tajikistan. Furthermore, the concept for community policing in Tajikistan is in the process of being finalized. The activities of the Police Programme are advancing the implementation of the Police Reform Strategy of Tajikistan and contributing to the implementation of the associated Police Reform Programme and Action Plan. Another set of achievements concerns the increasing role of civil society in police reform, in particular the involvement of the Civil Society Working Groups (CSWG) in discussions on the Draft Law on Police. The Public Councils for the Civil Society Assistance to the Police Reform has been established and its annual operational plan for 2015 was approved by the MIA. The current success of the project has been achieved thanks to high-level political support and co-operation between the OiT, the MIA, and other police reform stakeholders. Moreover, the OiT is recognized as a strategic partner for the Government of Tajikistan and as playing a key role in the international community involved in police assistance and the further development of democratic policing principles in Tajikistan. Activities Related to General Police Development and Reform Project Co-ordinator introduced the objectives of the extrabudgetary police reform project, which is closely linked to the work of the Public Councils  as it focuses on domestic violence and gender equality. Police Development and Reform within Security Sector Reform Throughout September, the OiT supported the MIA in the organization of three regular meetings of the Public Councils on Police Reform. The meetings took place in  the Rasht district, Ishkashim district, and Khujand city. The participants discussed the draft Law on Police as well as the draft Code of Ethics and the Action Plan for the Public Councils. In January, the OiT organized four roundtables for 77 civil society representatives on the creation of a Public Council on Police Reform, which would assist and work on police reform in Kulyab, Kurgan-Tyube, Khujand and Garm. On 27 March, a Police Reform Steering Group (PRSG) meeting was held. Participants of the meeting included the Minister of Internal Affairs, heads of the MIA Departments and other representatives of the MIA, the OiT’s Acting Head, the OiT Politico-Military Department (PMD)/CounterTerrorism and Police Unit (CTPU) team, as well as embassies and international organizations accredited in Tajikistan. A list of members of the Public Council on Police Reform, who will provide civil society assistance to the police reform, and a list of members of a new working group for gender sensitive issues were agreed upon and approved by the PRSG. On 19 May, the OiT hosted a meeting with members of the Public Council on Police Reform. The meeting brought together representatives of the OiT, the Public Council and the CTPU. During the meeting, the already approved annual operational plan and work plan for 2015 were introduced by Public Council members. Also, the OiT’s Police Reform On 22 October, the OiT held its monthly political dialogue meeting in Garm, focusing on  Police Reform. Twenty-five participants from local authorities, local branches of registered political parties, the media and civil society discussed civil society’s contributory role in the police reform process. From 7-11 December, two Russian and Ukrainian experts delivered a training course on Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for 19 police officers of the MIA, facilitated by the OiT in the framework of the National Strategy on  Police Reform. It enhanced the capacity of the police to understand the regulatory  provisions of their work, and to design and maintain effective SOPs in line with policies and procedures. Community Policing and Police-Public Relations On 11 April, the OiT supported an MIA initiative to organize sporting tournaments under the slogan: “Sports against drugs”. More than 1,000 youth were involved in activities in Dushanbe. 117