OSCE Mission to Montenegro

The Mission's Law Enforcement Section works closely with the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Montenegro and the Police Administration on comprehensive reforms that aim at bringing Montenegrin policing in line with European and international standards and good practices. This partnership is described in a memorandum of understanding signed between the Ministry of Interior and the OSCE, which outlines the co-operation priorities.

Community policing

The introduction of community policing principles and practices is the most significant factor in improving community safety and affecting long-term change of the police culture. The Mission's activities in this area include facilitating police-citizen forums to build co-operation and trust between citizens, municipal government, civil society and police.

Police accountability

The Mission assists the Internal Affairs Unit in building their ability to investigate allegations of crime, corruption and inappropriate behaviour among police officers. Effective internal oversight remains crucial in improving police culture and the public's perception of the police service, while helping to promote accountability and transparency within the service itself.

Organized crime

The Mission plays a crucial role in assisting the Ministry of Interior and Police Administration in developing a sustainable strategy and action plans to fight organized crime. It assists in developing a criminal intelligence system and witness protection programme.

The Mission promotes a regional approach to combating organized crime and helps to strengthen the capacities of the Montenegrin police to collect and process criminal intelligence through surveillance. It also advises on development of an Informants Handling Model and on enhancing police abilities to suppress trafficking in drugs and human beings.

Border policing

The Mission helps build police capability at borders in Montenegro. The Mission continues to assist the Ministry of Interior in developing action plans to implement integrated border management (IBM) strategies at national and regional levels.

Crime scene investigation and forensics

The Mission continues to help strengthen the forensic capacity of police in Montenegro, and will play a crucial role in coordinating a new and comprehensive crime scene investigation (CSI) policy. The Mission supports a project that aims to strengthen the effectiveness of CSI, develop training curricula for CSI officers and creation of quality management systems, which enable a safe management of evidence from the crime scene to the courts.

Police education and development

The Mission assists the Ministry of Interior in developing and implementing new education and training methodologies and curricula based on modern policing models at the Police Academy in Danilovgrad. They are in line with international human rights standards and guidelines for police ethics and the use of force.

Strategic development

The Mission supports the development of more effective strategic planning activities and structures in the Ministry of Interior in Montenegro. The Mission also supports enhancement of parliamentary oversight of law enforcement institutions and civil control of the police.