OSCE Mission to Serbia

The Mission's Law Enforcement Department works closely with the Serbian Ministry of Interior on comprehensive police reform to bring policing in line with European and international good practices. This partnership is described in a revised 2009 Memorandum of Understanding that outlines priority areas of co-operation.

Priority areas of co-operation and assistance

Priority areas are: police accountability, fight against organized crime, community policing, police training and development, strategic planning and development and public relations and communication.

Police accountability

The Mission assists the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Serbia in enhancing the existing and developing new accountability systems and procedures and introducing them across the Police Service. Effective internal oversight is key to improving police culture, improving the public's perception of the police service, and promoting accountability and transparency within the service itself.

Organized Crime

The Mission plays a crucial role in assisting the Interior Ministry to develop sustainable strategies and means to fight organized crime. It has assisted the Ministry in developing a sustainable witness protection unit and played a crucial role in acquiring the Ministry of Interior the membership of the European Network of Forensic Science Institutes. The Mission assisted in the development of the Ministry's capacity to effectively investigate war crimes, through workshops, technical equipment and study trips. The Mission remains dedicated to further improvement of the Ministry's criminal intelligence system and support to the implementation of the National Strategy for fight against organized crime.

Other areas on which the Mission will be focusing are: support to suppression of transnational organized crime and the fight economic crime and corruption through the implementation of the National Strategy for the Fight against Organized Crime, enhancement of the police capacity to use special investigative methods in the fight against organized and other forms of serious crime, capacity building to fight drugs production and trafficking, and strengthening the police capacity to fight cyber crime.

Community Policing

The Mission advises and assists the Ministry of Interior in developing and implementing the Community Policing Strategy as well as the Action Plan for its implementation. Introducing community policing principles and practices is the most important factor in improving community safety and police culture. The Mission's activities in this area include facilitating police-citizen forums to build trust and co-operation between citizens, municipal government, civil society and police. The Mission also focuses on improvement of co-operation between the media and the police.

Police education and development

The Mission assists the Interior Ministry in developing and implementing new education and training methodologies and curricula that are based on modern policing models and in line with international human rights standards for police ethics and the use of force. In addition to helping the Ministry identify, design, implement and evaluate training projects, the Mission runs training sites in two locations: the Advanced Police Training Centre in Zemun and training centre in Sremska Kamenica, Vojvodina. It also provides advice and assistance to the Interior Ministry in the area of specialized and management training as well as continues providing support to the Basic Police Training Centre in Sremska Kamenica, in whose establishment the Mission actively participated.

Strategic planning and development

The Mission advises and assists the Ministry of Interior in developing and applying effective strategic planning based on strategic management. As part of a long-term approach to police reform, the Mission helps strengthening the Ministry's capacities to produce and implement policies and strategies based on quality analysis. By supporting the Ministry's management processes, the Mission assists overall change management in the Ministry.

Public Relations and Communication

The Mission advises and assist the Interior Ministry in developing and implementing an overall (internal and external) communication strategy of the Ministry.