Police chiefs from OSCE countries agree to enhance co-operation to fight organized crime

BRUSSELS, 24 November, 2006 - At a Conference organized today at the initiative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht, police chiefs from more than 50 OSCE countries agreed to intensify international police co-operation to better fight organized crime and improve security.

This one-day OSCE police chiefs conference was the first of its kind in the OSCE region. Participants adopted at the end of the meeting a three-page statement affirming their strong commitment to co-operate. It was also agreed to hold OSCE police chief meetings every three years.

"Belgium decided to bring together police chiefs because it is the real professionals who need to exchange information, investigate suspects, bring them to justice. Police officers need to be able to rely on the full co-operation and readiness of colleagues and judicial structures in all countries concerned," said Special Envoy Pierre Chevalier, speaking on behalf of Chairman De Gucht and the Belgian Minister of the Interior Patrick Dewael.

"Law enforcement agencies should cooperate more and more on a transfrontier basis to fight against crime," the Special Envoy said, adding that democratic control and the protection of citizens should also be high on the agenda.

In addition to promoting international police co-operation, the OSCE works on the local level by helping train democratic and professional police officers in places such as Kosovo and Kyrgyzstan.

OSCE Secretary General Marc Perrin de Brichambaut said fostering international co-operation in policing illustrated how the Organization functions as an innovative platform for dialogue. "The OSCE acts at the strategic level by helping its participating States to implement international treaties on organized crime, and through collecting and sharing best practices," he said.

Belgian Commissioner General Herman Fransen added: "The presence of more than 50 chiefs of police shows that they are aware of the important contribution police services provide toward security. In fact, the development of a democratic society would be impossible without their efforts and collaboration. But the police services involved in international collaboration must also realize that they must respect and safeguard the democratic rights and liberties of citizens in all countries concerned."

UN Office on Drugs and Crime Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa stated that drug traffickers seek the paths of least resistance, namely areas where there is instability, corruption and weak law enforcement. "That is where OSCE collaborative efforts are most needed", he said.

The meeting was organized by the Belgian Chairmanship Unit, the Belgian Federal Police and the OSCE Strategic Police Matters Unit.

A new online information system offering the OSCE's 56 participating States access to information on police-related assistance was launched during the meeting. The system, dubbed POLIS, brings together contemporary policing resources and provides a forum for sharing of expertise.

POLIS, created by the OSCE Strategic Police Matters Unit, features a digital library, a database of policing experts and a mechanism to co-ordinate donor assistance.