OSCE Mission supports civil society research on police reform in Serbia

BELGRADE, 16 December 2008 - Fostering civil society engagement in the debate on police reform is the aim of a project launched in Belgrade today.

Three local civil society organizations will conduct research on police and minority issues in Serbia, police reform in the context of European integration and legislative aspects of the reform. The analysis and recommendations are expected to complement the ongoing police reform.

"The OSCE Mission has been working closely with the Interior Ministry on the police reform for several years," said Ambassador Hans Ola Urstad, the Head of the OSCE Mission.

"We see an increasing need to more actively involve the civil society in this process. This project will strengthen research-based public debate on police reform, which is crucial for the democratic development of the society."

Sonja Stojanovic, the Director of the Centre for Civil Military Relations, added: "Once this project is completed, we and other partner organizations will be more knowledgeable about policing and able to exercise oversight over police reforms underway in the country."

The launch of the project was followed by a seminar for civil society activists on the current trends in police reform in South-Eastern Europe.

The project is a joint endeavour of the OSCE Mission to Serbia and the Governments of Hungary, the Netherlands and Norway, and the Geneva Centre for Democratic Control of Armed Forces.