The Security Co-operation Department assists the State and Border and Migration Police and works closely with all other in-country police assistance missions. It participates in an international consortium, which includes embassies, international missions and NGOs that offer development assistance to the Government in the area of law enforcement and the rule of law.

The Department provides technical support on relevant legislation and official strategies, and co-ordinates future activities among participating organizations and government agencies. Recent training activity has included training on leadership assessment centres, election policing, advanced police instruction, police defensive tactics, public-police partnership and investigation techniques with the Internal Control Service.

Integrated border management

The Integrated Border Management Unit assists national authorities with joint border co-operation meetings that bring together representatives of the State Police with police services from neighbouring states. The Unit has carried out projects to strengthen secondary language skills among border and migration police; to provide backup power solutions with solar panels for police commissariats and border crossing points as well as Special Operation Group facilities.

Other support has included creating a radio communications network to enhance the national police communications network, improving the ability of border and migration police to respond quickly to threats posed by cross-border and organized crime.

Demilitarization

In February 2008, the Government requested assistance, through the Vienna-based OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC), with the disposal of surplus mélange (a toxic rocket fuel component). To facilitate this work, the Department joined with the Ministry of Defence to effect the disposal. In June 2009, the Presence successfully transferred all mélange previously in Albania across the border, and then across Europe to Sweden where it was incinerated in July 2009. The project was funded by Greece, Sweden, Finland and Denmark.

To further assist the Government in its effort to rid the country of surplus conventional ammunition, in September 2009 the Presence provided the Ministry with heavy industrial equipment for the cutting of large ammunition rounds so that the explosives could be removed. With the provision of the industrial equipment, the Ministry can increase their disposal rate by 7,000 tonnes a year. Funding for the equipment was provided by Denmark.