OSCE Office supports discussion on challenges of community policing and its development in Armenia

The OSCE Office in Yerevan, in co-operation with the Armenian Police, on 2-3 November 2015, organized a roundtable discussion in Tsaghkadzor, Kotayk region, to wrap up a two-year project on facilitating community policing development in Armenia, which was implemented by the National Centre for Legal Research NGONGO
non-governmental organization.

The event brought together some 45 participants representing the police leadership, college cadets who were involved in the training courses, and community policing officers to discuss the main outcomes of the project and the challenges in the course of its implementation. Participants also shared opinions on the perspectives of community policing in Armenia and were engaged in a practical workshop on community problem-solving.

Prior to the discussion, a group of Police Educational College cadets, who will be deployed as community police officers next year, underwent an extensive theoretical and practical training course on various aspects of community policing, including involvement in actual Citizens Advisory Group activities.

The issues raised and suggestions made during the roundtable discussion will be taken into account when developing the Office’s programmatic activities for next year in the field of community policing.