OSCE Annual Police Experts Meeting to focus on reform of criminal justice system

VIENNA, 22 September 2011 – A two-day Annual Police Experts Meeting (APEM) that started in Vienna today gathered some 120 international criminal justice experts who will share best practices and discuss how the reform of the criminal justice system can build capacity and increase effectiveness of the police structures.

“Capacity building of the police must be done in parallel with the development of other areas of the criminal justice system in order to strengthen the effectiveness of the police and ensure sustainability of the reforms,” said Ambassador Renatas Norkus, Chairperson of the OSCE Permanent Council, who addressed the meeting participants on behalf of the Lithuanian OSCE Chairmanship.

“The Annual Police Experts Meeting has a long tradition and successful history in OSCE police-related activities as a forum for our participating States and international experts to openly discuss solutions for contemporary and difficult criminal justice issues.”

Senior experts from the OSCE participating States and partner organizations with experience in criminal justice system transformation, particularly in the fields of judiciary, prosecution, penitentiary and police, participate in the meeting.

Knut Dreyer, Senior Police Advisor and the Head of the Special Police Matters Unit, identified common concerns in the OSCE participating States in the areas of evidence gathering, criminal procedure and search of suspects or premises.
He acknowledged that putting strong emphasis on the police only can create an imbalance and disconnect police development from wider criminal justice programmes. “As the police becomes increasingly ‘networked’ and embraces more sophisticated systems and approaches, including problem-oriented policing and information-led responses, co-operation and feedback become ever more important,” Dreyer said. “More timely information for corrective measures and organizational development are therefore vital across the criminal justice structure.”

The good practices discussed at the meeting will be incorporated into a new guidebook Police Reform within the Reform of the wider Criminal Justice System. The publication is developed by Strategic Policing Matters Unit (SPMU) of the OSCE Secretariat, in close co-operation and consultation with other OSCE structures, international and regional partner organizations.