OSCE Spillover Monitor Mission to Skopje community policing survey shows improvements
SKOPJE, 9 December 2010 - A new survey on community policing, conducted by the OSCE Spillover Monitor Mission to Skopje, shows improvements and positive trends, the Head of the Mission, Ambassador Jose Luis Herrero, said today at a workshop on community policing.
High-ranking police managers took part in the conference, organized by OSCE Spillover Monitoring Mission to Skopje in co-operation with the Interior Ministry.
The survey assessed the progress of implementation of the community policing practices in the country in 2009 and 2010 by asking for citizens' perceptions and attitudes toward the police and vice-versa.
"Compared to the previous surveys, the 2010 findings showed slight improvement in the public perception of the police service and a greater public commitment to involvement in police-public partnerships. It also showed a positive trend in police officers' perception of their own work," Herrero said. "The Mission will continue to focus on assisting in the process of police professionalization and on institutionalizing community policing practices to further improve inter-ethnic relations."
Interior Minister Gordana Jankuloska added: "This research project commissioned by the OSCE Mission provides useful analysis and a good foundation on which further work of the Ministry can be built. The fact that the citizens feel safer and less concerned by the problems of drug abuse, robberies and juvenile delinquency is a good indicator of the professionalism and commitment of the police."