OSCE holds workshop in Minsk to promote democratic policing
MINSK, 16 September 2009 - A regional workshop organized by the OSCE Strategic Police Matters Unit to promote democratic policing started in Minsk today.
The two-day event, organized with the Belarus Interior Ministry and the OSCE Office in Minsk, brings together police experts, prosecutors and representatives from non-governmental organizations from 20 countries. Participants will discuss the essential elements of democratic policing, including police powers, ethics and human rights in the context of arrest, detention, custody; public order management; and mechanisms and instruments for controlling police activities.
"Full respect for the rule of law, with understandable and thorough regulations and unambiguous accountability systems, are the basis for reliable policing that serves the people," said Kevin Carty, the Senior Police Adviser to the OSCE Secretary General.
Sergey Stepanovish, Chief of the Interior Ministry Academy, which hosted the event, said: "Democratization of police activities is one of the main characteristics of modern society."
The German and Swedish governments provided financial support for the regional workshop.
The workshop content is based on the OSCE Guidebook on Democratic Policing, which was developed in 2006 and serves as a reference for internationally adopted norms and standards and good policing principles.