OSCE starts community policing project in Armenia

YEREVAN, 30 October 2006 - As part of its Police Assistance Programme for Armenia, the OSCE today kicked off a community policing project in Yerevan, which aims at improving the co-operation between the country's police forces and the public.

"Strengthening the understanding for democratic policing is an important aspect of Armenia's development and goes hand in hand with promoting the respect for human rights", said Ambassador Vladimir Pryakhin, Head of the OSCE Office in Yerevan, at the opening of a seminar that introduced the community policing concept to Armenian police officers.

The OSCE's Senior Police Adviser, Kevin Carty, said: "Partnership between the police and citizens is a fundamental basis of democratic policing, which is why the OSCE pays particular attention to this element".

Colonel-General Haik Harutunyan, Head of the Armenian Police, welcomed the participants and the OSCE's close co-operation with the police and noted that this co-operation is not only strengthening and increasing day by day, but also gives tangible, effective and useful results, the evidence of which is elaboration and introduction of community policing.

The project is one of four components of the OSCE's Police Assistance Programme for Armenia, which also includes refurbishing and improving the standards of the country's Centre for Induction Training, where non-commissioned officers of the Armenian police receive their initial training.

A key goal of the initiative is to increase public confidence in the police and to improve the exchange of information between the police and the community. The project will involve the community in the prevention and solving of crimes, increasing the knowledge among Armenian police officers of European policing ethics and human rights standards, and providing practical on-the-job advice for officers working in the Arabkir police district.

Over the next twelve months, two international police experts - Charles Riordan from the United Kingdom and Rita Korotenko from Ukraine - will conduct training seminars and workshops in Arabkir district. They will also give advice on a daily basis to the police officers working there.

The project is implemented by the OSCE Office in Yerevan together with the Armenian Police.