POLICE-RELATED ACTIVITIES OF FIELD OPERATIONS SOUTH-EASTERN EUROPE Activities Related to General Police Development and Reform the upcoming year. Information sessions with young people were organized to introduce youngsters to the work of LSCs, as well as encourage their inclusion and possible participation in LSC meetings and activities in the future. Gender-based and Domestic Violence On 8 and 9 November, together with the OSCE Mission in Skopje, the Presence organized a bilateral meeting in Tirana between officials from the ministries of internal affairs of North Macedonia and their Albanian counterparts to discuss vetting and self-declaration processes in the police force. The visit allowed Macedonian experts to get acquainted with the concept, legal base and plans of their Albanian colleagues for implementation of the police vetting. Additionally, the delegation met the Parliamentary sub-committee on police vetting and representatives from the United States International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP) and the European Police Assistance Mission in Albania (PAMECA V). On 8 and 9 October, the Presence supported a training organized by the ODIHR in co-operation with the MoI on implementation of UNSCR 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, addressing gender-based violence while strengthening police oversight. Around 30 Albanian police officers and civil society representatives participated in the training, which was held immediately after the adoption of an Inter-Institutional Action Plan on the Implementation of the UNCSR 1325. The purpose of the training was not only to strengthen police capacities in investigating gender-based violence but to understand its root causes and build bridges between police and civil sector organizations. In November, the Presence supported the Albanian Government to approve its first National Action Plan (NAP) for the Implementation of UNSCR 1235 and related resolutions for the period between 2018 and 2020. Community Policing, Police-Public Relations and Crime Prevention Specialized Investigations Units / Forensics Throughout 2018, the Presence supported the development of a community policing document and its associated action plan. The document was adopted in late 2018 by the MoI and serves as its guiding document for the community policing philosophy employed in Albania. Since 2014, the Presence has been providing support to the ASP Forensic Institute to develop its capacities so as to achieve accreditation according to the international ISO 17025 standard. Police Development and Reform within Security Sector Reform In November, the Presence supported the MoI, Ministry of Education and the Security Academy in establishing School Security Officers (SSOs) in 150 high schools in Albania by reviewing and benchmarking the concept, job description and overall policy. Based on the government’s decision, SSOs were selected among civilians with pedagogical, law and social science background. From November to December, the Presence worked to strengthen the capacities of Local Safety Councils (LSCs) in Cerrik, Elbasan, and Librazhd, which it had established in 2017, through a two-day workshop with LSC members. Participants were trained on addressing community safety and security through a multi-agency model and performance evaluation principles. In the past few years, the Presence has paid special attention to the establishment of LSCs throughout Albania. The aim of the training was to gather members of the LSCs, representing local state and non-state institutions, to identify challenges and opportunities in the functioning of the LSC in the municipality. The final product was an Action Plan to guide the work of each of the LSCs in From 9 to 12 July, this support included a three-day study visit for members of the Forensic Institute to the Kosovo Forensic Agency. The purpose was for the participants to familiarize themselves with the Kosovo Forensic Agency’s Laboratory Information Management System and the standard operating procedures (SOP) the Agency uses for the administration of material evidence from the time it is registered at the laboratory until the analysis is completed. Since the study visit, the ASP Forensic Institute and Kosovo Forensic Agency have signed a memorandum of co-operation. 45