Kingdom of Bahrain - Mamlakat al-Bakharin

1. INTERNATIONAL POLICE EXECUTIVE SYMPOSIUM 10th ANNUAL MEETING Kingdom of Bahrain - Mamlakat al-Bakharin Police and Community 11-15 OCTOBER 2003

2. Police and Community Relations in Serbia Želimir Kešetović PhD, Police College, zelimir@verat.net colonel Miloš Vojinovć, Ministry of Interior mup@mup.sr.gov.yu

3. Presentation plan: • Background • Reform of the Ministry of Interior • Community policing

4. Serbia – fact&figurers Total area: 88,412 sq. km., Capital: Belgrade Population: 8. 000 000 refugees 800 000 Ethnic Groups: Serb 63 % Albanian, 17%. Montenegrin, 5 %. Hungarian, 3% %. Other, 12% Languages: Serbian 95 % Albanian 5% Religions: Orthodox, 65 %. Muslim, 19 %. Roman Catholic, 4 %. Protestant, 1 %. Other, 11 %Gross Domestic Product: $20.6 billion (1999)GDP real growth rate: -20 % (1999)GDP per capita: $1,800 (1999)Chief industries: machine building, metallurgy, mining, electronics, petroleum products, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, consumer goods (the break-up of Yugoslavia -- with the ensuing loss of close Communist-era trade ties and a succession of bloody military campaigns over the past decade -- has sparked a sharp drop in the country's industrial output)Agricultural products: cereals, fruits, vegetables, tobacco, olives; cattle, sheep, goats

5. 1990-2000 Police in the system of personal rule • Criminalization - on the highest level reflected in coupling of the police leaders and heads of crime groups, and on the lower levels of police hierarchy had forms of various kinds of corruption. • Politization - misused for political purposes • Centralization • Obedience - main feature of the police professional culture • Militarization • Lack of capable leaders • No Police Code • No external control or oversight. The public, including parliament, had almost no insight in functioning of the police. Complains against the policemen were handled by internal police bodies (superiors or Disciplinary court), and rarely by courts (that were also under control of the politics, e.g. ruling party). Political criteria were above the law and profe • Low level of public confidence

6. From police force to police service October, 5th 2000 – real step into transition Complete revision of the security concept was a high priority and that immediate and substantive change in all the organizational and functional sections of the Ministry of Interior must correct the serious inherited shortcomings

7. The reform of the Ministry has been implemented parallel in three main areas: • the reform of practice (increasing the efficiency of work); • legislative reform (drafting of laws and regulations); and   • long-term strategy for the development of law enforcement agencies. AIM create professional, depolitized police responsible for law enforcement and protection of human rights and freedoms, efficient in prevention and repression of crime and other phenomena that endanger public safety, and under effective internal and external control and oversight, giving its contribution to consolidation of the values of democratic society and incorporating Serbia in European integrations. KEY PARTNERS OSCE DCHR COE NGOs

8. VALUES • Rule of law • Human rights and freedoms • Political neutrality (impartiality) • Professionalism and respect for cultural diversities • Representative towards community (in terms of ethnic, gender, etc.) • Cooperation with citizens and their associations • Transparency • Responsibility • STRATEGIC TASKS • fight against organized crime and corruption • efficient solving of hard crimes that caused disturbance of public in previous period • suppression of terrorism of paramilitary groups of ethnic Albanians in south Serbia (Ground Safety Zone) • personal and material and technical restoration of the police, its depolitisation and decriminalization • transparency in work andtransforming the police into service of citizens • cooperation with foreign police organizations

9. What has been done so far ? • Strategic document made • New legislation • New organization • New leadership • New uniforms • International cooperation • Police Code • Public projects • Women and ethnic minorities in police

10. Community policing project AIMS Prevention Partnership Better communications Decrease of crime Problem oriented work Measuring of performance Adjusting police service to the needs of the citizens Police as a modern service of the citizens Decentralization Improving of overall security and quality of life Responsibility • Users • Citizens • Families • Local government • Business enterprises • Various associations • Education institutions • Social care institutions • Elements of the vision • Cooperation between police and public • Education and advice • Security problem analysis and solutions • Informing and reporting

11. 5 years goals To gain own experience and knowledge necessary for implementing this model in local conditions Education of citizens and police Appropriate organization of the police on the local, regional and national level Recognition of the operational projects Operationalisation of the projects • AMBITIONS • Develop a new philosophy • Built a partnership • Develop security culture • Leadership and prevention • Public confidence PILOT PROJECT – Police in the local community Started in June 2002 in 10 towns Partners: OSCE, English, Swiss and Norwegian police Done so far: survey of public opinion, city councils for security formed education of the police and citizens action plans Next steps: recognition of the security problems defining priorities strategic planning analysis of the results evaluation

12. Obstacles and problems Political instability Legacy of the past Resources (HR, $….) Different opinions Media relations Ethnical tensions

13. Thank you very much !