OSCE Office in Minsk promotes community policing with roundtable meeting

MINSK, 21 October 2010 - An OSCE-supported roundtable meeting held in Minsk today focused on the concept of community policing and how it can contribute to Belarus' efforts to enhance interaction between police and local communities.

Participants in the event, organized by the Interior Ministry and the OSCE Office in Minsk with support from the OSCE Strategic Police Matters Unit, discussed findings of a recent OSCE-supported visit to Hungary by Belarusian police experts. During that visit, the Belarusian experts learned how Hungary applies community policing by fostering co-operation and partnerships between the police and the population, including civil society organizations.

"One of the most successful OSCE experiences in the policing field is the strengthening of relations between police and civil society," said Manuel Marion, Deputy Head of the OSCE Strategic Police Matters Unit. "Community policing tools increase confidence and trust in the police and contribute to crime prevention. I hope that the Belarusian authorities embrace this policing philosophy that applies to police culture and organization, for the benefit of the Belarusian people."