OSCE Centre promotes best practices in basic police training
ASHGABAT, 5 October 2010 - About twenty officials from the Interior Ministry and Police Academy of Turkmenistan discussed basic police training in a roundtable meeting which concluded in Ashgabat today.
Organized by the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat and the OSCE Strategic Police Matters Unit (SPMU) in close co-operation with the Police Academy under the Interior Ministry, the two-day event aimed to familiarize representatives of Turkmenistan with best practices and lessons learnt in the field of police training in other OSCE participating States.
International experts from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Turkey and Ukraine discussed different models and ways of managing and delivering police education courses and training programmes, as well as selecting and recruiting police staff. The event participants also shared their experiences in curriculum development, as well as in reform and the development of basic, specialized and in-service training.
"The rule of law and an effective and accountable criminal justice system are fundamental to a well functioning modern democracy. Good policing serving the people rather than just the state authorities is central to protecting life and property, detecting crime and preserving public order," said Ambassador Arsim Zekolli, the Head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat.
"Since last year, the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat has successfully co-operated with Turkmenistan in the area of basic police training, and this roundtable discussion is a part of joint efforts aimed at the professional development of the police."
The event is a follow-up to a study trip to Lithuania organized by the Centre in co-operation with the SPMU earlier this year.