Building Police-Public Partnerships: Community-Oriented Policing and Community Engagement
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This side event to the 34th Session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) will support criminal justice practitioners in deepening their understanding of the foundations of the community-oriented policing (CoP) approach. It will assist them in translating these principles into effective strategies in practice, and will serve as a platform to share practical experiences and lessons learned in community engagement. Particular emphasis will be placed on the importance of a multi-stakeholder approach at the core of CoP.
The event will explore the key elements required to implement consistent and impactful community policing efforts, while fostering an exchange of knowledge on how CoP contributes to achieving sustainable crime reduction.
Registration
Register here by 21 May (until 23:59).
Background
Community-oriented policing has emerged in recent decades as an important strategic complement to traditional policing practices and valuable tool in crime prevention. It reflects a recognition that effective policing requires a shift in the philosophy of policing, from an exclusively law enforcement approach to one based on the premise that increased community participation results in enhanced social order and a reduction in community-related crime. By building meaningful partnerships with different parts of society, the police can empower individuals to take a proactive role in contributing to the safety and security of their communities.
This broader approach acknowledges that law enforcement authorities need the support of other state bodies – and especially civil society – in developing the mutual confidence and trust that underpins CoP. Strong partnerships with these diverse actors have a key role in better integrating police into the communities they serve and supporting more targeted and effective prevention and problem solving. Such collaboration also helps to strengthen the legitimacy of policing, by improving police services to the public and giving life to the principle of policing by consent.
Despite the increasing importance attached to CoP, implementing it in practice remains a challenge. The lack of a common understanding of the CoP concept, coupled with the divergent use and understanding of key terms, has resulted in a lack of clarity about what it entails. This has led to a wide range of different actions being implemented under the banner of CoP, and a fractured picture of often piecemeal and incomplete interventions.
Reflecting the growing need to provide concrete guidance on how to integrate CoP approaches into daily law enforcement activity, in 2022 the OSCE Secretariat’s Transnational Threats Department/Strategic Police Matters Unit (TNTD/SPMU) and the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Section of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) updated the guidebook on Good Practices in Building Police-Public Partnerships. The second version of the guidebook supplements the original 2008 publication by drawing together common basic principles, concepts and characteristics of CoP.
Designed as a reference tool for police and their partners, the guidebook aims to help criminal justice practitioners understand both the foundations of the CoP approach and to implement effective CoP strategies in practice. The broad target audience, which includes police at all levels, policy makers, civil society, police oversight bodies, the media and international actors, reflects the multi-stakeholder, partnership-led approach at the heart of CoP.
This side event aims at strengthening crime prevention through community-oriented policing and community engagement, highlighting the capacity to build police-public partnerships. It provides an opportunity for policymakers, practitioners and partners to discuss the key components of CoP and how they can be used to deliver effective policing for all members of society.
Information on co-organizers
The OSCE, as the world’s largest regional security organization, is mandated to support its participating States in enhancing and advancing public safety through inclusive and effective policing strategies. Through its Transnational Threats Department and Strategic Police Matters Unit, the OSCE promotes the principles of CoP, as a strategic model for crime prevention and strengthening public trust.
UNODC, through its Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Section, works in close partnership with national authorities to strengthen community engagement in policing. By building collaborative partnerships between police, civil society, and states institutions, the OSCE and UNODC supports the integration of CoP approaches and advances more responsive, inclusive and effective law enforcement practices.
Speakers
- Anna Salovaara, Deputy Head, Permanent Mission of the Republic of Finland to the International Organizations in Vienna, Finland’s 2025 OSCE Chairpersonship;
- Ambassador Neil Holland, Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the OSCE, Chair of the OSCE Security Committee;
- Ambassador Alena Kupchyna, Co-ordinator of Activities to Address Transnational Threats, OSCE Secretariat;
- John Brandolino, Director of Division for Treaty Affairs, UNODC
- Ms. Martha Stickings, Deputy Head of Strategic Police Matters Unit, OSCE Transnational Threats Department;
- Carmel Bancille, Expert on community-oriented policing;
- Mónica Diniz, Head of Prevention, Security and International Relations Division, Lisbon Municipal Police, Portugal;
- Natalie Sahakyan, Acting Head of the Strategic planning, policy development and monitoring department, of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Armenia;
- Meerim Osmonalieva, Country Director, Oasis Foundation, Kyrgyzstan;
- Aimée Comrie, Chief, Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Section, UNODC.