OSCE Mission Head welcomes start of Community Policing in Croatia

ZAGREB, 31 October 2002 - The Head of the OSCE Mission to Croatia, Ambassador Peter Semneby, welcomed today the start of Community Policing pilot projects set to be launched on 1 November. "We welcome this first step towards the introduction of the community policing concept in Croatia and will assist the Ministry in developing a successful programme" Semneby said.

The Police Directorate of the Croatian Ministry of Interior will tomorrow launch activities for pilot projects in four police stations in the Croatian towns of Zagreb, Split, Sisak and Pozega.

Semneby said the OSCE Mission would continue to provide its expertise to the Police Directorate and local Heads of Police Administration in order to support the organizational reforms necessary for successful community policing.

Community policing goes beyond the traditional focus on responding to and investigating crimes. It involves a partnership between the police and the communities they serve in order to reduce crime and the causes of crime.

Semneby encouraged the Ministry of the Interior to engage the co-operation of other Croatian partners, such as media, other government institutions, members of the judiciary, and NGOs to enhance the overall effectiveness of community policing.

He recalled that the OSCE Mission is also engaged in facilitating and co-ordinating other international assistance to support Croatian police as they develop proactive community-based partnerships to secure crime reduction. Current partners in this development are experts from Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

In September, the OSCE Mission assisted in sponsoring a visit of two senior police officials to the United Kingdom where they observed community policing in the Sussex Police Force.