Local Public Safety Committees (LPSC) One major weakness of the community safety forums, such as the Local Public Safety Committee,13 observed in the previous years was the lack of capacity in securing co-operation with the local, municipal and central institutions, as the latter were not fully aware of the Committees’ capacity to address safety- and security-related issues at the grassroots level. Also, the trained community safety trainers lacked proper skills in guiding the Committee members for initiating, developing and implementing projects to address community concerns through building partnerships with the above-mentioned institutions, which is required for improving the effective functioning of Committees in the field. The Kosovo Police has institutionalized clear terms of reference and internal standard operating procedures in regard to communication with the Local Public Safety Committees. In addition, the Kosovo Police drafted an Administrative Instruction on “Police Collaboration with Municipalities and Communities”, which sets specific communication mechanisms among the police stations and Committees. However, the Mission, as well as members of the Steering Group for Monitoring the Implementation of the Community Policing Strategy and Action Plan 2012-2016, observed in 2013 that none of the Committees practiced written and official reporting to their police counterparts. Furthermore, lack of written reports from the Committees results into inefficient information flow to the Municipal Community Safety Councils, where the Kosovo Police and Committee leaders are represented. Even though the Community Safety Coordination Office (CSCO)14 of the Ministry of Internal Affairs has achieved positive results during the initial stage of capacity building support in 2013, still the core staff of the Office lack knowledge and skills in planning, co-ordinating and facilitating all activities relating to community safety forums, including the independent delivery of capacity building trainings for community safety forums. In order to support the implementation of the Kosovo Community Safety and Community Policing Strategies, as well as to ensure sustainability, continuity and further development of its activities related to community safety and security, the Mission provided further support for strengthening the capacity of the Community Safety Coordination Office. On 29 October, the Mission facilitated a co-ordination workshop, which was attended by 15 participants from the Coordination Office, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Kosovo Police and the Mission. In addition to identifying the needs for effective functioning of the Coordination Office, the workshop focused on enhancing the abilities of its staff in planning, co-ordinating and facilitating all activities related to community safety. During the workshop, representatives of the Mission presented the capacity building activities for Local Public Safety Committees, Municipal Community Safety Councils and Kosovo Police, including its plans involving the northern municipalities. To ensure regular communication between Local Public Safety Committees throughout Kosovo, the Mission supported during this year the facilitation of two “LPSC Executive Council” meetings, which took place on 11 June and 15 December. The first executive council meeting, implemented in close co-operation with the OSCE Mission to Skopje, was focused on the establishment of co-operation and sharing of best practices between Local Public Safety Committees from Kosovo and Community Advisory Groups from the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in relation to addressing local security and safety concerns. 13 14 70 Local Public Safety Committees have been established in a number of smaller areas within municipalities, such as remote and multi-ethnic villages, in the interest of effective policing and good relations with all communities. They are composed of local community representatives selected by the community. The Kosovo Police consults these committees on safety and security matters in the areas they cover. Community Safety Coordination Office established within the Ministry of Internal Affairs serves as a single umbrella for the co-ordination and support of all future community safety forum activities, including the establishment and revitalization of training requirements, project action planning, executive councils, archives, membership validation and all other associated activities that require the Ministry’s co-ordination and support.