KOSOVO POLICE SERVICE

COMMUNITY ORIENTEDPOLICING & PROBLEM SOLVING

OPERATIONAL HANDBOOK

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KOSOVO POLICE SERVICEREGIONS

MHQ – Pristina/ Prishtina, KosovoVSAT: 5923

Prishtina/ Pristina Region HeadquartersVSAT: 6411

Mitrovica Region HeadquartersVSAT: 7226

Gjilane Region HeadquartersVSAT: 7331

Prizren Region HeadquartersVSAT: 8001

Peja/ Pec Region HeadquartersVSAT: 3293

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COMMUNITY ORIENTEDPOLICING & PROBLEM SOLVING

MISSION STATEMENT

The people of Kosovo deserve and should receive nothing less than the very best police services available to all people of the world. The key to providing continuous safety and security is having a clear and unwavering mission by which to guide the determination of priorities and decisions in community-

oriented policing. In order to do this, KPS will strive to establish community outreach that encompasses partnerships between police and law-abiding

Kosovo citizens. Our-policies, strategies and activities will be coordinated with other government agencies and non-governmental organizations with a

community-oriented and problem-solving focus.

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Through community oriented policing & problem solving, it shall be our mission to engage in community partnerships. Officers, recruited from all

sectors of the Kosovan society, shall work assigned areas, building professional relationships through continuous personal contact. They will be trained to effectively communicate, deal with diversity and liaise regularly

with all sectors of the community. Our contacts with the Kosovan society will be strengthened through proactive enforcement and non-enforcement

activities, with community participation and community-based public safety programmes. The community will assist in identifying problems and

participate in creative problem-solving approaches to develop responses to concerns.

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As community-oriented & problem-solving police officers, we intend to deliver the people of Kosovo a Police Service dedicated to improving quality

of life and promoting a safe and secure community, with a reduced fear of crime. This mission is based on a foundation of integrity, professionalism,

cooperation and commitment.

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CONTENTS1. ABOUT THIS KPS HANDBOOK...........................................................................6

Purpose..................................................................................................................6Acknowledgements................................................................................................6

2. STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT PHILOSOPHY.......................................................7Introduction.............................................................................................................7The COP ‘Philosophy’............................................................................................7Implementing Community-Oriented Policing – Strategic Management..................7The Organisational structure..................................................................................8Community and Police Partnerships......................................................................8The Strategic Management Process......................................................................9The Vision..............................................................................................................9The Mission Statement...........................................................................................9Identification of Core Business...............................................................................9COP Corporate Strategy by which Vision/Mission/Core Business is to be Realised...............................................................................................................10Local COP Service Plan.......................................................................................10

3. COMMUNITY ORIENTED POLICING PRACTICE & PROCEDURES.....................12Introduction...........................................................................................................12What is Community-Oriented Policing?................................................................12Principles and Characteristics of Community-Oriented Policing..........................12The Fundamental Principles of COP....................................................................13Characteristics of COP.........................................................................................13Policing Focus......................................................................................................14Core Components of COP...................................................................................14The Outcomes of COP.........................................................................................14Community-Oriented Policing is NOT Soft On Crime!.........................................15

4. THE PROBLEM SOLVING PHILOSOPHY.........................................................16Introduction...........................................................................................................16Initial Problem Identification.................................................................................16Introduction to SARA............................................................................................16Scanning..............................................................................................................17Analysis................................................................................................................17Response.............................................................................................................18Assessment..........................................................................................................19Good Assessment................................................................................................20SARA Conclusion.................................................................................................20Routine Activity Theory (RAT)..............................................................................20Features...............................................................................................................21A Suitable Target..................................................................................................21Absence of a Capable Guardian..........................................................................21Likely Offenders...................................................................................................22Problem Analysis Triangle PAT (also called Crime Triangle)..............................22Summary..............................................................................................................22Example of the PAT.............................................................................................22Introduction to the Community Safety Model.......................................................23The Outer Circle...................................................................................................24The Organisations and Groups............................................................................24

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The Centre Circle and Two-Way Arrows..............................................................24Community Safety Strategic Approaches.............................................................25

5. COMMUNITY SAFETY: A PARTNERSHIP APPROACH...................................26Introduction...........................................................................................................26Sign Up to the Vision............................................................................................26Instil the Vision throughout the Organisation.......................................................26Prove Commitment...............................................................................................27Mobilise Others....................................................................................................28Do Things That Work...........................................................................................28Match Public Expectations...................................................................................29

6. COMMUNITY SAFETY STRATEGY FOR KOSOVO..........................................31Why Kosovo has a Community Safety Strategy..................................................31Community Safety Vision.....................................................................................31Community Safety Mission Statement.................................................................31Crime trends and community concerns................................................................32Kosovo-wide Community Safety Priorities...........................................................33What we will Do: Approach to be Taken..............................................................33Monitoring.............................................................................................................34Flow of Communication........................................................................................35

7. TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR LOCAL COMMUNITY SAFETY AND CRIME PREVENTION COUNCILS..................................................................................361. Introduction................................................................................................362. Aim of the LCS & CPCs.............................................................................363. Membership...............................................................................................364. Terms of Reference...................................................................................365. LCS & CPCs Administration......................................................................376. Review.......................................................................................................37

8. SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER PROGRAMME...............................................38Introduction...........................................................................................................38Safer Schools Partnerships..................................................................................38SRO Basic Skills Development Programme........................................................39Participant Profile.................................................................................................39Process................................................................................................................39Suggested Course Outline...................................................................................40SRO Training of Trainers Course.........................................................................42

APPENDIX 1.................................................................................................................43Kosovo Police Service Policies and Procedures............................................43I. Policy.........................................................................................................43II. Purpose.....................................................................................................43III. Procedure..................................................................................................43A. The Mission Statement of the UCCP.........................................................43B. Organisational Structure of the UCCP.......................................................44C. Command Structure of the UCCP.............................................................44D. General Duties and Responsibilities of the UCCP.....................................45E. The Kosovo Community Based Policing Steering Group..........................46IV. Professional Qualifications........................................................................46V. Meetings and Reporting.............................................................................46

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1. ABOUT THIS KPS HANDBOOK ‘Police are the people and people are the police’.

PurposeThe purpose of this Operational Handbook is to establish guidance for officers in the Kosovo Police Service (KPS). This guidance is intended to align all Community Police Units and other KPS officers throughout the province to similar working principles, while preserving each locality’s desire for customisation.

Rapidly changing social and economic conditions have led many police services to reassess their role, processes and structures. The aim of this Operational Handbook is to deliver the best possible community oriented services to meet community law enforcement expectations. It will be part of a dedicated, service-oriented approach which includes the setting up of community partnerships.

As police officers, we are part of the community we serve and all KPS officers have a role to play in community-oriented policing. A strong partnership between the police and the community will lay the foundation for long-term successes within the police, and ultimately a successful Kosovo.

AcknowledgementsThe KPS would like to acknowledge the assistance of the DFID Community-based Policing and Community Safety project team, Saferworld and SEESAC (South Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons) in the preparation of this document.

Also, the following people: Nefertita Bardhi, Arianita Beqa, Dmitry Dodonov, Bukurie Ferati, Avdi Hasani, Vjollca Hoti, Bedrie Hyseni, Nazmie Hyseni, Nazmi Jahiri, Suada Jasharaj, Ismet Maliqi, Nezir Miftari, Latife Neziri, Nazim Pantina, Ali Pllana, Nazmi Rama, Zeqir Ramaj, Rushit Smajli, Ali Tërnava, Dragan Tomic, Ali Topalli, Saša Vucic, Isa Xhemajli, Avni Zahiti, Slaviša Živković.

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2. STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT PHILOSOPHY

IntroductionThis section is intended for station commanders and senior managers who will be responsible for the strategic management philosophy of COP, including the required organisational structure, the need for community partnerships, the vision and mission of COP and the need to identify the core business of COP through a well structured service planning process.

The COP ‘Philosophy’● focusing on continuous geographical responsibility – sector

(neighbourhood) policing – as opposed to time-based responsibility (i.e. for an 8 hour shift);

● core service is provided through the provision of patrol officers;

● long-term peace, safety and security are given priority over short-term crime control measures;

● creation of public consultation mechanisms with the objective to focus on crime reduction, crime prevention and community safety issues;

● new relations of multi-agency partnerships predominate;

● requirement to address relevant social problems and signpost other social problems to the relevant partner agencies; and

● police and public engaged in joint working relationships of mutual responsibility.

Implementing Community-Oriented Policing – Strategic ManagementThe principles, characteristics, focus, and core components of COP need to become part of the police organisation, within the local context, in order to ensure successful implementation of COP. The police organisation therefore needs to ensure that it:

● understands its ‘customers’, the people it serves;

● understands the local and regional context in which it operates;

● responds to its communities;

● sets and pursues clear and consistent objectives;

● agrees common objectives for all parties in the criminal justice system;

● assigns clear management responsibilities;

● assigns and deploys appropriate resources;

● trains and motivates people;

● communicates effectively;

● publishes information about its performance;

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● monitors results; and

● adapts quickly/initiates change.

The Organisational structure● Emphasis is placed on role not rank;

● Devolution of authority is a key element in the declared commitment to ‘local policing meeting local needs’;

● Local police ‘commanders’ require more autonomy, including budgetary control, whilst being more accountable for service delivery;

● Adoption of a flatter rank structure with fewer management grades and more ‘operational’ (frontline) staff; and

● Less functional specialisation because ‘operational’ officers – patrol officers and first line supervisors – would be expected to cope with a range of new demands.

Community and Police PartnershipsCOP seeks to reverse resentment, apathy and opposition to the police whilst restraining the impulse for the public to take the law into their own hands. This new relationship, based on mutual trust and respect, also suggests that the police can serve as a catalyst - challenging people to accept their share of the responsibilities for the overall quality of life in their neighbourhood. Both sides of the partnership therefore have to know their responsibilities.

a) from the side of the police

● COP requires an organisational strategy that ensures that everyone in the police organisation translates the philosophy into practice. The fundamental principles are that ‘all policing is community-oriented policing’ and that ‘all police personnel are community-oriented policing officers’.

● Tactical responses to core policing issues should take account of ongoing community policing initiatives.

● This requires major changes in a police organisation, particularly one that is traditional and hierarchical and where power is vested in rank and position. COP requires a significant change within the police organisation to allow operational ‘front line’ officers greater autonomy to make decisions, which implies enhanced respect for their judgement as police professionals.

● COP requires a commitment on the part of the police organisation to mobilise and concentrate its resources to the ‘point of service delivery’.

● It also requires that everyone in the organisation accept the need to focus on solving community problems in ways that are not only innovative but enlighten the public in the process of policing itself.

● COP invests trust in those who are engaged in ‘front line’ policing – both police personnel and local people – by using their experience, expertise and knowledge to seek and find solutions to their local problems.

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● COP attempts to meet the needs of all groups in society, particularly the poor, disadvantaged and vulnerable, while taking into account the particular needs of women, children and the elderly. If high levels of crime can be reduced, social and economic development will improve, thus benefiting the economy and the quality of life for all sections of the community.

b) from the side of the community

● The public, as citizens, must not only share in the rights, but also the responsibilities implicit in identifying and setting priorities and solving problems in a ‘partnership’ approach. COP requires continuous, sustained contact with all sections of the local community so that together they can explore solutions to local problems. It requires a proactive approach in which partnership policing will predominate.

● Whilst the COP philosophy promotes the use of technology it also strongly advocates the belief that nothing surpasses what dedicated human beings talking and working together can achieve. Positive initiatives - such as Victim Support, Neighbourhood and Business Watch, Schools Involvement Programmes and indigenous crime prevention/community safety structures - all play their part in problem solving and improving the overall quality of life for all citizens.

● Within different communities there will be different structures (organisation; associations; groups, both statutory and voluntary) that are already well established and that can be tapped into to harness community safety and partnership - for example, public and private housing associations; resident associations; and the business community.

The Strategic Management ProcessBy undertaking a strategic management process as a first step, the police service can ensure that it is clear about its priorities and the ways in which it will undertake COP. A useful starting point in this regard is to conduct a survey of the state of policing and public perceptions of the police.

The VisionKPS is dedicated to improving the quality of life of the people of Kosovo by promoting safe and secure communities, and increasing wellness and liveability.

The Mission StatementThe mission statement is included at the front of this Handbook.

Identification of Core BusinessIt is critical that the police identify what their core business is, namely what their primary functions are. These areas have to link closely to the principles of COP, and adapted to the priorities of the local context. The following provides examples of what the core business could comprise:

● Management of crime reduction and crime investigation;

● Provision of a 24-hour proactive response service;

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● Community partnerships and community safety forums; and

● Provision of high visibility uniform police patrolling, particularly foot patrols, so as to reassure the public.

COP Corporate Strategy by which Vision/Mission/Core Business is to be RealisedThe Organisation and Operation Policy of the KPS Unit for the Coordination of Community Policing (KPS UCCP) is included at Appendix 1.

Local COP Service PlanThe local COP service implementation plan is the most detailed part of the management process and needs to convert the intent and aims expressed in the previous stages of the process into meaningful and measurable activities. It is the responsibility of the Regional Co-ordinators, in cooperation with Regional Commanders, to complete these plans. Key elements should include:

● ‘Where are we and where are we going? Where do we want to be?’

- A statement of key objectives and priorities;

● ‘How do we get there?’

- An action plan detailing ways in which services will be provided to achieve stated objectives, identifying any factors which may influence their achievement;

● ‘What support from other agencies do we need?’

- Who do we need to engage in partnerships?

● ‘What resources do we need?’

- An explanation of how available resources are to be used to put the plan into effect; and

● ‘How do we know if we have been successful?’

- Setting criteria by which performance is to be measured and agreeing key performance indicators.

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Action plan objectives and priorities are easier to use if they are SMART

● Specific and precisely described;

● Measurable;

● Achievable;

● Relevant to the core business;

● Timescale for reviewing the action plan should be included.

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3. COMMUNITY ORIENTED POLICING PRACTICE &

PROCEDURESIntroductionHaving examined the strategic management philosophy of COP in the previous section, this section now details the principles, characteristics and components of COP that are required to make the philosophy a reality.

What is Community-Oriented Policing?Community-Oriented Policing (COP) is both a philosophy (a way of thinking) and an organisational strategy (a way to carry out the philosophy) that allows the police and the community to work together in new ways to solve problems of crime, disorder and safety issues to improve the quality of life for everyone in that community. The philosophy is built on the belief that people deserve and have a right to have a say in policing in exchange for their participation and support. It also rests on the view that the solutions to community problems require the police and the public to examine innovative ways to address community concerns beyond a narrow focus on individual crimes or incidents. It also cuts across work undertaken on specialised issue areas such as drugs, arms and human trafficking and organised crime.

The philosophy of COP in a number of countries has developed towards a professional police service and a responsible community in an open and accountable partnership. The role of the community is therefore that of informed and proactive individuals and representatives who voice their opinions, offer their expertise and resources and take responsibility for their actions. This philosophy enables a constraint to be placed on a too prescriptive and managerial role by the state and the police in particular.

Principles and Characteristics of Community-Oriented PolicingIn countries that are emerging from conflict or in transition to democracy, the police often have a history of being a tool for repression and there may be a temptation for any incumbent regime to continue using the police in this way. In these contexts especially, the historic legacy of the police force therefore necessitates the adoption of a different philosophy of policing, removed from regime support and party politics and with a clear distinction of duties from that of the military. This philosophy is one of focusing on communities – the public – and their needs and providing policing as a service to them in an accountable manner and through respecting human rights. The notion of policing with the public is a very old concept that has become known as ‘community’, ‘community-based’ or ‘community-oriented’ policing and is also often referred to as ‘partnership policing’ and ‘democratic policing’.

In helping to maintain peace, order and security in communities, police officers exercise the professional side of the partnership with the community by being responsible – but not exclusively – for the prevention and reduction of crime and the promotion of public order and individual safety. The role of the police is therefore fundamentally that of ‘peace officers’ rather than merely ‘law enforcement officers’. This

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is best captured by Sir Robert Peel, the founder of the Metropolitan Police in London, who saw the role of the new police in 1829 as:

‘… to maintain at all times a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and that the public are the police. The police being only members of the public that are paid to give full time attention to duties, which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence.’

The Fundamental Principles of COPThe police service needs to:

● practice policing by consent not coercion;

● be part of the community not apart from it;

● find out (together with the community) what the communities’ needs are;

● work in partnership with other agencies and the public;

● tailor the ‘business’ of policing to meet the communities’ needs;

● be accountable for its ‘business service’; and

● provide a quality service.

Characteristics of COPThe above principles can be translated into a set of characteristics of the police in a COP paradigm. The police need to be:

● a service not a force;

● accountable to the law and the public;

● open and identifiable;

● professional;

● people-centred – including, for instance, sensitivities around gender, age, ethnic heritage and group identities;

● delivering a quality service that is efficient and effective;

● visible and accessible;

● consultative and participative;

● proactive; and

● preventative.

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Policing FocusIf those principles and characteristics are in place the policing focus will naturally centre on:

● local policing;

● responsive policing;

● targeted policing; and

● partnership policing.

Core Components of COP In order to achieve the principles, characteristics and focus described previously, experience shows that four components are required for successful COP. This list is not exhaustive, but aims to represent the core components of COP:

● the ‘philosophy’;

● the required organisational structure;

● the management policy; and

● the operational strategy for its implementation.

The Outcomes of COPOnce the four components are in place and the principles, characteristics and focus are actually being implemented the following outcomes have consistently been achieved.

● Improved quality of policing service;

● Professional & accountable police service;

● Access to justice;

● Improved police-community relations;

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● Sustainable solutions;

● Sound strategic partnerships;

● Safe schools/roads projects;

● Crime reduction programmes.

Community-Oriented Policing is NOT Soft On Crime!Countries in transition or emerging from conflict experience significant social change, often coupled with a rise in criminality. Especially in these contexts, COP is sometimes accused of being soft on crime. It is therefore important that all KPS personnel understand that this is not the case:

● COP is tougher because, by practicing it, the public will demand and expect more from their Police Service;

● Community-oriented policing is smart policing because:

- It mobilises the majority of law-abiding citizens to work with the police to reduce crime and arrest criminals – it recognises society’s right to be protected against criminal activity;

- It means that by working with others (partnerships) resources, ideas, responsibility and solutions are shared;

- It seeks to address the causes of crime and conflict in partnership projects with affected communities and other service providers;

- It is information led, so that active and persistent criminals are targeted and good evidence is obtained that secures their conviction.

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4. THE PROBLEM SOLVING PHILOSOPHY

IntroductionAs outlined previously, COP is a philosophy and an organisational strategy that allows the police and the community to work together in new ways to solve problems of crime, disorder and safety issues, to improve the quality of life for everyone in that community.

The philosophy is built on the belief that people deserve, and have a right to have, a say in policing in exchange for their participation and support. It also rests on the view that the solutions to community problems require the police and the public to examine innovative ways to address community concerns through the problem-solving process.

Initial Problem IdentificationThe first stage of the problem-solving process is the initial identification of the problem. Finding the answers to the following questions will assist this process.

● What is the issue or demand?

● Who, or what organisation, is raising the issue?

● Is there anyone else raising the issue?

● What people or organisations are involved as part of the problem?

● Are there other perceptions of the problem?

● What are the significant concerns that are present?

● Is there any historical information available?

● Are there other factors that are relevant?

● Who should be our partners in supporting our actions?

● What are we trying to achieve?

● Detail research conducted (Target/ Victim - Offender - Location)

There are also many problem-solving ‘tools’ to assist in finding the most appropriate solution; the ones that are most frequently used by police agencies are described below.

Introduction to SARADespite the enthusiasm and commitment of their members, many community and police partnerships fail because those members do not have a framework to assist them in solving the problems they identify. Therefore they have little success, feel frustrated and leave the group.

The SARA model has been used for some time in problem-oriented policing (POP) as a methodical process for problem solving. It is an integral part of the philosophy of community-oriented policing in Kosovo, the USA, the UK and many other regions. Therefore it is important that all community police partnership members in Kosovo are able to apply this model.

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SARA is of use to crime reduction practitioners in any field, as applying the process can ensure that a crime problem is effectively identified and tackled, avoiding any waste of time and resources if only part of the actual problem is identified. As SARA is commonly used within the KPS, an understanding of the process may help partner organisations to work with the police to tackle local problems.

Its four stages are:

● SCANNING

- Spotting problems using knowledge, basic data and electronic maps.

● ANALYSIS

- Using previous experiences, local knowledge and information technology to dig deeper into problems’ characteristics and underlying causes.

● RESPONSE

- Devising a solution through working with the community, wherever possible.

● ASSESSMENT

- Looking back to see if the solution worked and what lessons can be learned.

ScanningScanning allows incidents to be grouped into clusters or ‘problems’. These problems comprise similar, related or recurring incidents and are identified from police data/information/intelligence and calls from members of the community.

The definition of what constitutes a ‘problem’ is deliberately left open as there is an almost endless range of situations where the public may call the police. Incidents may vary in terms of their seriousness, particularly in crime terms, but they are all of concern to the community and call for a police response.

Problems identified in the scanning phase of the process should not be ‘one-offs’; they should be problems that have been recurring for some time, certainly over a period of months. It makes more sense to spend time and resources on a long-term problem than on one that would only last for a couple of weeks.

AnalysisIn this phase, crime reduction practitioners identify the conditions that give rise to a particular problem by examining the characteristics and impact of the problem in greater detail. For example, scanning might have revealed that there were many thefts from shops in a particular area, but analysis will provide the hour, day or month that the thefts took place and from which particular shops.

Analysis may involve collecting information about offenders and victims, the time of occurrence, location and other details of the physical environment, the history of the current problem, the motivations, gains and losses of involved parties, the apparent (and hidden) causes and competing interests, and the results of current responses.

Police and other practitioners may need to talk to colleagues, partners, local businesses, or other members of the community to better understand the problem. As

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well as police data, information held by other organisations such as insurance companies, hospitals, local authorities, probation and schools may be useful.

It helps to be as precise as possible in defining the problem, having identified the incidents to be included in the analysis. It is crucial to establish what it is about the location, or target/victim, and the offender or source of the problem that causes it to arise, and how and when it happens. This may need some lateral thinking to define the factors behind a problem.

A tool which can be used at the analysis stage is the Problem Analysis Triangle (PAT, also called the crime triangle) which appears to derive from the Routine Activity Theory developed by Cohen and Felson (1979) and Felson (1994). PAT breaks incidents down into three constituent elements:

● the features of the incident’s location;

● the features of the target/victim;

● the features of the offender or of the source of the incident.

PAT is detailed further later in this section.

An accurate assessment of the problem is one of the main elements of POP. If a response to a problem fails, the practitioner can then return to the analysis to see whether another element might be influenced.

ResponseResponse refers to any action taken to try to address a problem. This might vary from the simple – for example a practitioner advising someone what they should or should not be doing – to the complex, such as a practitioner involving the community and local bodies to set up a project to help young people.

Work done in the analysis phase helps to identify or isolate the element that can most easily and effectively be tackled to resolve a problem. Often, responses will combine

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actions to tackle more than one aspect of the problem identified during the analysis phase.

In selecting responses, it is crucial to work out in detail how they are expected to produce their intended effects.

A simplistic example of potential responses for a problem follows. Detailed scanning and analysis would enable officers to devise better ways of responding.

Problem - gangs of young people frequently attacking or intimidating people leaving a public house and walking along a poorly lit street.

● LOCATION

- Tackling the lack of lighting by bringing the problem to the attention of the relevant authority.

● OFFENDERS

- Considering why the youths hang around the area, to establish whether there is something that brings them there, or whether there is a lack of other places to go.

● TARGET/ VICTIMS

- Enlisting the help of the local community by encouraging them to keep a special watch on the area and to lobby the local authority to provide better amenities for young people.

- Targeting police resources such as foot and car patrols in the area at the particular times identified by analysis when the incidents are most frequent.

- Bringing the problem, and efforts to tackle it, to the attention of the local media to try to improve the reputation of the area.

AssessmentIn the final stage of SARA, practitioners review attempts to deal with a problem and evaluate how successful they have been. There are three major reasons why the assessment stage is very important:

● To find out whether a particular problem still exists and requires continuing attention. This is important in deciding whether to continue to deploy resources to respond effectively to the problem.

● To improve problem-solving skills by finding out what seems to work in differing circumstances. This avoids reinventing the wheel and contributes to the ‘what works’ knowledge base and the dissemination of good practice.

● To enable effective problem-solving to be recognised within the police service and other organisations, acknowledging individuals' efforts.

Assessment can be difficult to do well and as a result is often largely overlooked. It must be a routine feature of any problem-solving structure. Assessment is not an evaluation of the performance of those involved but what happened when a problem was tackled. An assessment which concludes that a problem has been dealt with successfully does not always mean that it has been eliminated. There are many different types of success. For example:

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● The problem and its impact remain the same but the volume of police effort to respond to it may be reduced.

● The harm to the public may be reduced even though the number of incidents remains the same.

● The number of problem incidents may be reduced.

● The problem may be entirely eliminated.

Good Assessment● Needs a clear definition of the problem and a description of how it is

being addressed in order to focus measurement where success is most realistically to be expected.

● Needs a good description of what was actually done and when action was taken, as there is often a difference between what was planned and what was actually done.

● Needs to identify whether a response failed to achieve its hoped for outcomes because it was not applied as had been intended, or whether it genuinely failed to make an impact.

● Needs a collection of incident and other data about the problem before and after the response and the identification of the precise action taken to resolve the problem, rather than basic before and after measures at an aggregate level.

SARA ConclusionAlthough SARA can be used as a guiding process for problem solving, it would be wise not to see it as the answer to everything as it can be limited in its effectiveness if it is employed in too mechanistic a fashion. Examples of poor use of SARA within problem solving include:

● not making the full use of historical data available when scanning;

● not doing an in-depth analysis because it is felt that enough is known about a problem to understand it without special research;

● not keeping the phases distinct from each other;

● using it to justify an already chosen solution, rather than as a means of gaining deeper understanding of what is happening.

Routine Activity Theory (RAT)PAT comes from the theory known as Routine Activity Theory (RAT), which is one of the main theories of ‘environmental criminology’. It was developed by criminologists Lawrence Cohen and Marcus Felson, who have worked for a number of years on crime prevention theory. RAT states that for a predatory crime to occur, three elements must be present when any crime is committed. RAT incorporates the Problem Analysis Triangle (PAT).

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FeaturesRAT states that when a crime occurs, three things happen at the same time and in the same space:

● a suitable target is available;

● there is the lack of a suitable guardian to prevent the crime from happening;

● a likely and motivated offender is present.

A Suitable TargetThe first condition for crime is that a suitable target must be available. The word target has been chosen carefully, rather than other words such as victim. There are three major categories of target. A target can either be:

● a person;

● an object;

● a place.

There are plenty of potential targets around us, but not all of them are suitable. Two English language acronyms are sometimes used to describe suitable targets:

VIVA: Value, Inertia, Visibility, Access

CRAVED: Concealable, Removable, Available, Valuable, Enjoyable, Disposable.

Targets may also be repeat targets. No matter how suitable a target is, an offence will not occur unless a capable guardian is absent and a likely offender, who may have a handler, is present.

Absence of a Capable GuardianThe second condition is that a capable guardian whose presence would discourage a crime from taking place must be absent. A capable guardian has a 'human element', that is usually a person who by their mere presence would deter potential offenders from perpetrating an act. A capable guardian could also be CCTV, providing that someone is monitoring it at the other end of the camera.

Some examples of capable guardians:

● police patrols;

● security guards;

● Neighbourhood Watch schemes;

● door staff;

● vigilant staff and co-workers;

● friends;

● neighbours; and

● Close Circuit Television (CCTV) systems.

Some of the guardians are formal and deliberate, like security guards; some are informal and inadvertent, such as neighbours.

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It is also possible for a guardian to be present, but ineffective. For example a CCTV camera is not a capable guardian if it is set up or sited wrongly. Staff might be present in a shop, but may not have sufficient training or awareness to be an effective deterrent.

Likely OffendersWhen a suitable target is unprotected by a capable guardian there is a chance that a crime will take place. The final element in this picture is that a likely offender has to be present.

RAT looks at crime from an offender’s point of view. A crime will only be committed if a likely offender thinks that a target is suitable and a capable guardian is absent. It is their assessment of a situation that determines whether a crime will take place.

Problem Analysis Triangle PAT (also called Crime Triangle)RAT introduces an important tool in crime analysis, the Problem Analysis Triangle (PAT) (which has also been called the crime triangle). In the past the crime reduction centres have presented these two triangles separately with PAT being used in the analysis of a crime problem (victim, location, offender) and RAT being used to develop the interventions (target/victim, location and absence of a capable guardian). The latest formulation of the crime triangle uses a combination of the two therby helping practitioners to think about responses as well as analysis.

SummaryThe presence of a likely offender is the last condition for crime and completes the crime triangle. So, for a crime to occur:

...a likely offender must find a suitable target in the absence of a capable guardian...

Therefore, if any one element is taken away a crime cannot be committed.

Example of the PATThe success of the PAT problem solving tool is told through this story of Gill Park in Chicago - and how residents and police managed to reclaim the park from sex offenders and drug dealers and, thus, bring back the families and children.

Using the PAT, police and residents analyzed the Gill Park problem from three perspectives: offenders, victims, and location. They developed specific information on gang members (offenders) in the park and on those who were buying and selling drugs. The victims were identified as the families who could no longer use the park, plus nearby property owners whose buildings were devalued by the criminal presence at the park.

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Regarding the location, residents analyzed several problems with the park - from poor lighting and overgrown shrubbery to an overall design that provided ideal hiding places for illegal activity. A spokesperson for the Friends of the Parks organization said

"As soon as you saw the back of the park, you could see it looked like it was designed for drug dealing."

Based on their analysis of the problem, police and community members developed a number of strategies to address the offender and location sides of the Crime Triangle/ Problem Analysis Triangle. To target offenders, foot patrols were instituted at strategic times, and curfew and loitering laws were energetically enforced. Neighbours adjacent to the park also kept a watchful eye and reported suspicious activity. On the location side, residents and Municipal Authority representatives got together to totally redesign the park and made it less conducive to criminal activity and more conducive to recreation.

The community stepped forward to provide architectural services and raise money for the park redesign.

In a relatively short time, the signs of success in Gill Park were everywhere. One resident said:

"A lot of people over here are using the park now. It just didn't seem possible last year."

The PAT tool facilitates practical implementation of communication, consultation, prioritisation and coordination by the police, other groups and the community that are detailed within the Community Safety Model.

Introduction to the Community Safety ModelDespite a plethora of research, theories and implementation strategies regarding the concept of Community Safety, there are no published working models or organograms to facilitate the implementation of the concept by practitioners.

The Community Safety Model (Wood R. and Willoughby D. ,2002, Impact Assessment Methodologies for Public Bodies, Universities of Nottingham) is intended to fill this void by providing an organic model that can be used by consultants, trainers, practitioners, organisations and communities to identify:

● the concept of Community Safety that is appropriate to their environment;

● the organisations and groups that are integral to that concept of Community Safety;

● the communication and consultation strategy that is required to co-ordinate those integral organisations and groups as a Community Safety Forum;

● the methods of prioritising current Community Safety issues, and,

● future actions by the Community Safety Forum.

Additionally, the Community Safety Model recognises that each organisation or group has to achieve its own aims and objectives, whilst contributing to the wider Community Safety issues. This maximises resources and minimises duplication of effort.

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The Outer CircleThe outer circle of the Community Safety Model denotes that all the organisations and groups within the circle are working together to achieve Community Safety. This involves communication, consultation, co-ordination and prioritisation.

Each organisation or group can communicate, consult, co-ordinate and prioritise with any of the other organisations or groups at any time, depending on their current aims, objectives and issues.

The Organisations and GroupsThe variety of shapes of the organisations and groups within the Community Safety Model denotes that they are all different and, consequently, have different aims and objectives to achieve. For example, the police service is required to prevent crime. This aim is clearly not a priority for the fire service which is more likely to concentrate on the prevention of fires.

The Centre Circle and Two-Way Arrows The centre circle denotes the concept of Community Safety, which is often practically implemented as a Community Safety Forum which holds regular meetings, usually managed by a central Community Safety Co-ordinator. The two-way arrows denote communication, consultation, co-ordination and prioritisation of Community Safety issues. For this purpose each organisation or group may appoint a Community Safety

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Liaison Manager/Officer. This does not detract from the fact that Community Safety is the responsibility of the entire organisation or group. The definition contained within the Centre Square is that used by the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland. Whilst it is a sound definition it may not apply in all situations – therefore each Community Safety Forum can create their own definition or use one as directed by other parties, such as Central Government.

Small working groups may be formed from the constituent members of the most appropriate representatives to tackle certain problems. They may also invite specialists or stakeholders onto that working group.

Community Safety Strategic ApproachesThere are three main strategic approaches for community-oriented policing to prevent and reduce the fear of crime, through community safety and partnership working, as highlighted below.

Enforcement This is a short term strategy built around proactive, intelligence led policing.

Situational approaches These are short to medium term interventions to reduce opportunities for committing crime or causing disorder by:

● increasing the effort for the offender;

● increasing the risks for the offender; and

● reducing the offender’s reward.

Social crime prevention These are longer term interventions to address the factors that are seen as the principal causes or risk factors associated with criminal behaviour. They focus on factors relating to:

● Personal and/or family risks;

● Socio-economic and/community risks;

● Educational risks.

Successful community safety strategies share the following three important characteristics:

● Strategic options have been rigorously appraised;

● They are guided by a plan that is tightly managed;

● They are applied with adequate resources to be successful.

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5. COMMUNITY SAFETY:A PARTNERSHIP APPROACH

‘Integrity is non-negotiable’

IntroductionThis section is designed to assist police officers and their partners who are tasked with developing the process by which community safety and partnership working are progressed within a Municipality.

It must be remembered at all times that the framework/process for each Municipality must reflect the needs of all stakeholders and the many diverse communities that the Municipality serves, and must be flexible and adaptable.

The model has 6 primary activities as follows:

● Sign up to the vision;

● Instil the vision throughout the organisation;

● Prove commitment;

● Mobilise others;

● Do things that work;

● Match public expectations.

Each activity will now be developed to show how the model evolves

Sign Up to the Vision‘KPS is dedicated to improving the quality of life of the people of Kosovo and promoting safe and secure communities with a reduced fear of crime.’

The success of community safety is an acceptance by senior police officers and municipal leaders that reducing crime is their core business.

The senior police officers must take personal responsibility and be accountable for all activity resulting from this vision statement, for without such support community safety will not impact, on either the Service or community, with sufficient force to be effective.

Police have unique powers, expertise and duties in respect of crime prevention but do not act unilaterally. The consent and cooperation of the public and other agencies greatly enhance the potential of the police to reduce crime and create a more crime resistant society.

All efforts to reduce crime and the fear of crime must however operate within strict parameters of quality, integrity and legitimacy.

Instil the Vision throughout the OrganisationManagers and team leaders must communicate the vision and, wherever necessary, re-educate staff to bring them up to speed with the change of emphasis. Some of the key points of this change in emphasis are highlighted below.

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5Politicians and all citizens have an interest in community safety. Solving crime after it has been committed will continue to be vitally important and one of the best ways to impact on crime rates is to successfully prosecute offenders. Preventing the crime in the first place is even more important.

If we recognise and exploit the ‘crime reduction dividend’, a virtuous circle can be put into motion - less crime means better investigation and an improved service to victims.

Recording crime to enhance our opportunity to clear up crime is not the point of the exercise. We record crime to note the impact on the individual victim and on society. The record enables us to share information to generate action which may bring offenders to justice and prevent further crime. Beyond that we record crime to reassure the citizens that we care.

Prove CommitmentCrime detection, investigation and prosecution through the criminal justice system are not ends in themselves and they are not in conflict with the reduction objective - they are part of the process of preventing crime.

Successful detections through investigations leading to convictions are a powerful means of disabling criminals, weakening their motivation and disrupting their methods. This keeps the public safe and reduces the fear of criminals getting away with offences without punishment. This reassures the community that the police are committed to achieving the vision, particularly in relation to: ‘… promoting safe and secure communities with a reduced fear of crime’.

Although, community-oriented policing promotes proactive policing, it must be remembered that proactive and reactive police work are not mutually exclusive - they must be complementary and interrelated. The best description is ‘active policing’. However, ‘fire brigade-style policing,’ where we wait for the crime to happen then react, is second best to getting out there and preventing it. There is a saying that - “A gram of prevention is worth a kilo of cure”.

Community safety requires: people, finance, training, information technology (IT) and a policing style that reflects the vision. This may require the challenging of traditional structures and traditional resource allocation.

To prove their commitment trainers should teach core crime prevention skills, effective patrol skills, problem analysis and problem solving skills, tactical options and partnership procedures.

It should be highlighted that analytical skills are a scarce resource in every organisation; therefore analysis is often left to one appointed expert, which is unhelpful. Analysis is neither a magic art nor a secret one – therefore, analytical skills and experience in the problem solving approach should be core competencies for all supervisors, middle managers and those tasked with developing the process by which community safety and partnership are progressed. The final aim is for all police officers to be skilled in this area. The advancement of IT has assisted in developing the skill in many police services.

Whenever possible, it is important to share good practice and information, such as crime figures, to prove commitment. When the KPS has proved its commitment the next step is to mobilise others and take community safety forward into partnership.

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5Mobilise Others

‘The most appropriate agency should be allowed to do what they do best’.

The police will not solve a problem if the cause or solution is under the control of another agency. To win over partners, police personnel should help identify significant benefits that potential partners might accrue from partnership.

It is legitimate to prompt action to achieve our goals by facilitating civil proceedings rather than aiming exclusively for criminal law solutions. This is particularly pertinent in relation to experienced criminals, whose livelihood, lifestyle and powerbase depend on the hidden economy, trading illicit markets and other malpractice regarding all manner of accepted business practice. These criminals are adept at counter surveillance and well-briefed in exploiting the safeguards of the criminal legal process for their own ends.

Applying the criminal law is only a partial solution to this type of criminal infrastructure - multi-agency incapacitation of prominent criminals is the full answer.

For example, the police supply information and resources to coordinate ‘irresistible force’ raids by all agencies that have a responsibility for collecting taxes or the provision of services to the individual. Everyone from politicians to gas and electricity suppliers can also be involved.

Police personnel can provide advice and information to potential partner organisations or encourage them to attend multi-agency training in order to achieve voluntary co-operation.

Do Things That WorkEarlier sections of this Handbook highlight the need to do ‘things that work’ through: effective and efficient strategic management policies; appropriate organisational structures; service plans; the use of the SMART formula for action plan objectives and priorities; and the use of the problem solving philosophy and tools. All of these COP approaches are equally applicable to community safety and partnerships.

Asking early questions is part of the problem solving approach. This is about prioritising and doing the things we must do – rather than simply doing the things that we are comfortable doing or ignoring problems because we think they cannot be solved without limitless resources.

Remember that RAT theory, PAT models and police experience highlight the fact that crimes are a result of criminals at work, so it is important to concentrate on the offender and potential offenders. It is important to think laterally: target offenders; limit their opportunity; disrupt their methods; and weaken their motivation. Return to Section 4 to remind yourself of ways that this can be achieved, and think up your own examples.

The mediaThe media are often regarded as hostile to police work. This need not be the case as open co-operation with the media will often assist the problem-solving process - unless there is a specific and important reason for withholding information.

Good relations with the local press are essential if balanced coverage is to be achieved. Valuable co-operation with this powerful opinion forming body can be achieved, if we fully explain the reasons for police action and involve the media in

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5presenting our case. We can also enlist the media to ensure success for our tactical options and strategies

The media can help to reduce the fear of crime by highlighting operations and publishing good results, thereby reassuring the public that the police service is ‘on top of crime’ and tackling problems.

Naming criminals on conviction, by releasing photos to the media can prompt other victims to come forward who have not reported crime previously through fear, or expectation that the police could not secure convictions.

Involve the public in finding solutionsWhen mobilising others, it is vital to canvass local citizens for support during the planning stage, so that all actions are by public demand. It is important to ask the community what they would like done about a problem; agree appropriate action with them - including what can and should be done, and by whom.

This can be done in a variety of ways, including town and village focus groups, public surveys or SROs gathering information in schools.

Community safety forums should also balance immediate action and quick-fix solutions with longer term multi agency solutions, to provide balance and sustainability.

Additionally, working groups, consultative groups, neighbourhood watches and local business will have apart to play in the process of establishing the consensus for action.

It must be remembered that some community members will be unaware of a particular problem that has been identified by others. If that is the case the problem can be described to them with a presentation of the relevant statistics.

Match Public ExpectationsThe extent to which police and partners match public expectations will have significant impact on reducing or increasing the fear of crime.

The citizens are of course concerned about serious crime but they also expect police, in partnership with others, to take action against other problems which blight their lives such as: incidents of disorder, ethnic harassment and verbal abuse, anti-social tenants, children being bullied, criminal damage and gangs dominating the street or recreational areas.

Community safety and partnership working must be particularly sensitive to local concerns, some of which must be tackled as priority issues, such as ethnic harassment and verbal abuse.

To match public expectations, community safety and partnership work must be subject to scrutiny and continuous improvement so that its methods are constantly evolving to meet changing circumstances. Naturally, it may be difficult to fulfil all expectations, but the opportunity should be taken wherever possible.

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5The basic requirement remains clear – community safety and partnership working must be accountable. This will ensure that community-oriented policing will be with consent and cooperation – thereby resulting in an impact on crime and the fear of crime.

‘The most important reason for police to engage in community safety and partnership working is to reduce

the incidence and fear of crime.’

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6. COMMUNITY SAFETY STRATEGY FOR KOSOVO

Why Kosovo has a Community Safety Strategy Section 2 of the Kosovo Standards Implementation Plan (KSIP) describes the actions that must be taken to achieve the Rule of Law, for which the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) still holds the primary responsibility because it bears legal and functional authority. However, the standards cannot be achieved without the co-operation and collaboration between the Provisional Institute of Self Government (PISG) and UNMIK. Additionally, in relation to community safety, it is essential that all Kosovo’s institutions, including the Assembly, institutions of Government, municipal level bodies and the police facilitate the full participation of all communities. This will ensure that community safety strategies and policies fully protect the rights of those communities and accurately reflect their needs.

In pursuit of this collaboration and co-operation, Paragraph 5.2 of Section 2, of the KSIP states that all municipalities must develop and implement a ‘strategy for community safety to include joint crime prevention councils’.

In order to achieve this, the responsible actors, supporting actors and practitioners (Pillar II, Pillar I, Pillar III, Office of Prime Minister, Municipal Authorities, communities and the police) must fully understand and promote the philosophy, principles and practices of community safety, crime prevention and community policing, as laid out in this strategy.

Community Safety VisionTo make Kosovo a safer place for all, so that its people live in freedom, in peace, and in friendly relations with other people of the region.

Community Safety Mission StatementThe responsible actors believe:

● That a safe community is a basic right of all citizens and visitors;

● Citizens and visitors have a right to a safe and secure environment that promotes the rights of refugees and IDPs to return to their homes in dignity and safety;

● That crime and the fear of crime are major concerns to the public and we are determined to respond proactively to alleviate these concerns;

● That community safety and crime prevention are key factors in the process of social regeneration and that a safer community encourages local prosperity;

● That our actions will provide direct benefits to local people and enable us to make measurable progress in contributing to a safer community;

● That working together in partnerships will make Kosovo a safer place to live, work and visit;

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● That people who live and work in the area in question are best placed to identify the problems facing them and consider the options for addressing those issues, therefore the community should be involved in every stage of the community safety process, together with a broad range of statutory and voluntary organisations and people working in the public and private sector;

● That this Strategy reflects the consensus and priorities of Kosovo’s diverse communities and provides a framework to reduce crime, and improve safety and the quality of life for all people;

● That improved community safety will contribute to the achievement of the legitimate aspirations of Kosovo’s people to live in freedom, in peace and in friendly relations with other people of the region.

Crime trends and community concernsAlthough the overall crime rate in Kosovo has been steadily improving over recent years, the events of 17th to 20th March 2004 have demonstrated the fragility of the security situation for communities in areas where they are the minority. A recent UNDP public perception of the police survey showed broad public satisfaction with everyday levels of safety and security, as well as satisfaction with the Kosovo Police Service (KPS), but this stands in contrast with public concerns about some wider community safety and security issues. The findings indicate a perception that Kosovo’s citizens are not entirely confident that the KPS has the professional experience to tackle these complex issues. K-Albanians were most adamant about the lingering threat to their safety and security posed by murders, and particularly those that remain unsolved. K-Serbs still view their limited freedom of movement as a major challenge to their safety and security.

From a proportionally representative sampling of 6,000 Kosovan respondents, a rich set of findings were collected during this survey, concerning the public’s views of safety and security in Kosovo, quality of life and crime, and the Kosovo Police Service. Examples are given below.

Eighty-one percent of Kosovans interviewed believe that, in 2003, levels of safety and security either improved or remained the same. However, almost double the number of Kosovo Serb respondents than general respondents (29% to 16%) perceived deterioration during this period.

Of similar concern are those from municipalities where respondents observed a worsening in safety and security levels on a scale far higher than the Kosovo-wide average, including Decan/Decane (49%), Zubin Potok (40%), Zveqan/ Zvecane (35%), and Leposaviq/Leposavic (29%). Additionally, much more concerted attention is needed to bridge the perception gaps between K-Serbs and those of other ethnic heritage, and between municipalities.

Twenty-nine percent of K-Albanians interviewed stated that, in 2003, the prevalence of crime decreased, whilst 47% of K-Serb respondents felt crime had increased. Among the lead factors viewed as contributing to crime was high youth unemployment. Specific crimes, such as the sale of illicit weapons, prostitution, burglaries, car theft, and drug use, are further seen as threatening the quality of life across Kosovo. An integrated approach to crime prevention, with full community and police involvement and high-level political support, is required.

These points stress the need for those charged with improving safety and security, to effectively and proactively grapple with some of the root causes of crime and insecurity

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or disorder in Kosovo, not simply react to criminal incidents. Sustained work, involving a range of key partners, is required in this endeavour.

Kosovo-wide Community Safety Priorities ● Improve the security environment for members of all ethnic

communities;

● Reduce the fear of crime for members of all ethnic communities through a variety of initiatives, including regeneration of the environment and Community Safety initiatives aimed at creating safe space for trust building and dialogue;

● Improve crime clearance rates for crimes of violence against persons of all communities so that they are roughly equivalent;

● Encourage community members/civil society representatives to fully support the key institutions (UNMIK Pillar I and II, Office of Prime Minister, Municipal Authorities and the police) that are responsible for fighting crime and, improving safety and quality of life;

● Improve Community Safety and Crime Prevention efforts through partnership working and competence building within the key institutions.

What we will Do: Approach to be TakenImplementing the Kosovo Community Based Policing Steering GroupThe Kosovo Community Based Policing Steering Group (KCBP-SG) is the overseeing, coordinating and supporting body for community-based policing, crime prevention and community safety activities/initiatives in Kosovo.

The KCBP-SG will make recommendations to its members, who have the authority to set Kosovo-wide policy at a strategic level and approve actions/initiatives in their own organisational roles. The KCBP-SG will then endorse and support the implementation and monitoring of those policies and actions, as agreed by its members.

The primary aim of the KCBP-SG is to facilitate Kosovo-wide community-based policing and community safety policies and practices to aid the transition process, through its recommendations, actions, co-ordination of activities and use of resources.

Implementing Local Community Safety and Crime Prevention CouncilsA key element of Kosovo’s multi-level community safety and crime prevention initiatives is the importance placed on consultation with institutions and individuals through inter-agency and partnership working. The Local Community Safety and Crime Prevention Councils (LCS & CPCs) are a key part of this process. The LCS & CPCs are consultative bodies on security issues, comprising of representatives from civil administration, the police, KFOR, and civil society including: each ethnic community residing in the municipality, religious leaders/representatives, the business community, young people, NGOs working with victims of crime and any other parties interested in reducing crime and improving the quality of life of local people. The council may also call on a local judge if a meeting requires it. The Terms of Reference for the LCS & CPCs are included in Section 7.

The Unit for the Coordination of Community PolicingThis Unit was formed to reflect the commitment of the Kosovo Police Service to work with, care for and protect the community it serves, by adopting a community policing style that embraces a human rights compliant police culture. The Unit for the

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Coordination of Community Policing aims to make communities safer by: identifying and addressing community concerns through problem solving and prevention; being proactive rather than reactive; providing an effective visible presence in the community; establishing School Resource Officers in Secondary Schools; implementing Community Policing projects, and developing partnerships that work to promote Community Safety.

Whilst community policing has a lead role to play in community safety, officers from the Unit for the Coordination of Community Policing recognise that they do not have sole responsibility. Indeed, many of the resources needed to solve identified community problems are owned by other institutions, agencies and individuals. Consequently, the Unit recognises and welcomes the commitment of members of community safety and crime prevention partnerships.

Involving the local communitiesIn keeping with the Kosovo Standards Implementation Plan, this Community Safety Strategy places local people’s concerns about crime, fear of crime and quality of life issues at the centre of its approach and planning process. Therefore, the philosophy of this strategy embraces the belief that communities can work with the responsible actors in open and accountable partnerships. The role of the community is that of informed and proactive individuals and representatives, who voice their opinions, offer their expertise and take responsibility for their actions. Consequently this philosophy also ensures that constraints are placed on the state, and the police in particular, to prevent them playing too prescriptive a role in community policing, community safety or crime prevention; rather than prescriptive the approach should be consultative. This will ensure an appropriate balance of local solutions to local problems, grass-root initiatives and bottom-up approaches, with state and police interventions, through effective partnerships and problem solving. Therefore, the approach will include consultation at different levels including public perception surveys, crime audits and focus groups with diverse community groups including the elderly and young. It therefore includes encouraging, supporting and implementing initiatives that involve diverse community members in community action events, such as: providing training and development workshops free of charge; ‘environmental clean-up days’; ‘neighbourhood pride days’; ‘human rights days’; ‘youth camps’ and ‘peace days’; and educational events aimed at improving personal safety and traffic safety or the prevention of domestic violence and drug abuse.

MonitoringAbove all the Kosovo Community Safety Strategy is designed to respond to local people’s concerns about crime, disorder and quality of life issues, and implementing our vision to make Kosovo a safer place for all. Therefore, the Strategy will remain flexible and open to change as circumstances require.

Our efforts to monitor and evaluate this Strategy will include:

● Measuring reductions in crime through monitoring crime statistics at local and Kosovo-wide levels;

● Measuring fear of crime levels and satisfaction with community safety and crime reduction initiatives among community members through local and Kosovo-wide surveys;

● Undertaking before and after interviews with key agency representatives.

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Flow of Communication

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7. TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR LOCAL COMMUNITY SAFETY AND CRIME PREVENTION COUNCILS

1. IntroductionLocal Community Safety and Crime Prevention Councils (LCS & CPCs) are Consultative bodies on security issues, which are responsible for:

● Building trust among communities in security enforcement measures, including but not limited to the promotion of a Human Rights compliant culture;

● Ascertaining the views and concerns of their communities, particularly the most vulnerable, on matters of crime, the fear of crime and other quality of life issues;

● Supporting the Rule of Law Standard to achieve a crime clearance rate for violent crimes against persons that is almost equivalent for all communities;

● Co-ordinating, consulting, communicating and prioritising issues with its members to resolve problems, including those associated with ethnic tensions, freedom of movement and conflict;

● Educating communities on what they can realistically expect from the Councils and the organisations they represent;

● Formulating community safety, crime prevention and security initiatives in co-operation with existing organisations and programmes;

● Implementing and monitoring those initiatives;

● Complementing the activities of the Kosovo Security Advisory Group (KSAG).

2. Aim of the LCS & CPCsThe primary aim of the LCS & CPCs is to be aware of the nature of crime, disorder and other anti-social behaviour in their local areas, in order to identify the methods of developing and implementing effective projects and action plans that reduce those problems.

3. MembershipThe Councils comprise of: representatives from civil administration; UNMIK and KPS police, including School Resource Officers (SROs); KFOR, OSCE and civil society including: each ethnic community residing in the municipality; religious leaders; the business community; NGOs working with victims of crime and other parties interested in reducing crime and improving the quality of life for local people.

4. Terms of Reference1. To carry out a detailed, joint local audit every three years that identifies

priority crimes, areas or themes, such as incidents of theft in rural areas,

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anti-social behaviour outside schools or the misuse of drugs. The audit should also identify priority groups, such as young people or victims of domestic violence.

2. To carry out regular reviews of the audit findings to ensure they are current and valid.

3. To publish the audit and review findings and consult on them.

4. To set local strategic aims and objectives for crime and disorder prevention, crime and disorder reduction and quality of life improvement for local people, using the audit or review and consultation results and any other sources of information, such as Kosovo-wide public perception surveys. Methods will include:

- Identifying and publishing projects and action plans that will achieve the local strategic aims and objectives;

- Initiating Community Safety Action Teams to carry out the action plans;

- Deploying joint resources to assist the successful implementation of projects and action plans;

- Co-ordinating with other organisations/stakeholders regarding support for the projects and action plans;

- Calling on/inviting additional co-opted members regarding specific priority areas, projects and action plans as required;

- Reporting back on the progress of projects and action plans to the LCS&CPC members and, when relevant, to the KCBP-SG.

5. To formulate and publish an annual Local Community Safety Strategy that sets out the findings of the audit or reviews and consultation, which details the projects and action plans for addressing priority areas and targets.

5. LCS & CPCs AdministrationThe administration of the LCS & CPCs includes:

● Setting meeting dates/venues well in advance;

● Holding regular meetings and;

● Circulating minutes of meetings and Project Action Plans, which transcend membership.

6. ReviewThese Terms of Reference will be regularly reviewed at a minimum of six monthly intervals by the LCS & CPCs and the KCBP-SG.

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8. SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER PROGRAMME

IntroductionSchool Resource Officers (SROs) are youth-educator/interaction specialists within UCCP who are deployed in selected Secondary Schools in Kosovo, to facilitate a Safer Schools Partnership. Each SRO will undergo a probationary period and attend additional skills related workshops.

Safer Schools Partnerships The Safer Schools Partnership has the following four aims.

Enforcement

To protect life and property through reducing crime and victimisation amongst young people and the number of incidents and crimes in schools by:

● Working together to provide consistent support and interventions that divert young people from criminality;

● Sharing information to identify those young people at risk of becoming victims or offenders, or those who already are;

● Investigating criminal activity around the school property and assisting other officers with outside investigations that have a link to the school or its pupils.

Educational

To provide a safe and secure school community and learning environment by:

● Reducing the incidence of bullying and violent behaviour;

● Reducing substance misuse in the school and the wider community;

● Developing strategies that improve the physical security of the school and the personal safety of all who use it;

● Developing a partnership approach to supporting teachers and other school staff in managing a safe learning environment;

● Presenting lessons to students;

● Facilitating student workshops;

● Informing students of their rights and responsibilities;

● Informing students of the role of the police in a democratic society and issuing material to complement the learning;

● Developing crime prevention programmes;

● Participating in groups that include the pupil’s parents;

● Attending faculty meetings to promote the role of the SRO and, on invitation, giving presentations;

● Assisting students with their enquiries.

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Counsellor/ Advisor

To retain young people in education and help them to achieve their full potential by:

● Establishing partnerships with the School Director, faculty and pupils;

● Developing strategies to improve attendance;

● Forming school action teams to carry out problem-solving;

● Supporting vulnerable people;

● Liaising between pupils and social agencies;

● Assisting the School Director on law related, safety and emergency matters;

● Counselling/advising on community-oriented policing matters;

● Safety and emergency planning;

● Carrying out other community-oriented policing initiatives;

● Raising attainment by maintaining a calm, crime-free learning environment.

Role Model

To engage young people and challenge unacceptable behaviour by:

● Developing a coordinated approach to dealing with conflict;

● Developing citizenship skills in young people;

● Engaging young people in decision-making that directly affects them.

SRO Basic Skills Development ProgrammeThe purpose of this programme is to train UCCP officers as SROs so that selected secondary schools in Kosovo will have a trained SRO in residence (full/part-time) to carry out safety, awareness and empowerment activities.

Participant ProfileIt is essential that participants are KPS community police officers who are willing to serve as SROs. It is also desirable that they have completed a KPSS certified Instructor Development Course, Human Rights for Law Enforcement Course and Domestic Violence Operational Course. Additional teaching and youth-interaction experience is recommended.

ProcessThe SRO Basic Skills Development Programme follows this process:

● Following an initial selection process, participants will undergo an interactive five-day SRO training course designed and implemented by Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST), KPSS and UCCP, which provides practical examples and skills. The programme will also include specific SRO activities and duties, as determined by the partners.

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● SROs will then be placed in ‘pilot-schools’ for one school semester. Pilot schools will be chosen based on an identified need, which is likely to be a larger secondary school with a history of problems. Deployments will be subject to MEST and school principal approval, and the identification of a SRO Host Teacher. The SRO Host Teacher will serve as the schools primary point of contact regarding day to day issues and help to integrate the SRO into school activities. In all matters, SROs will be expected to work closely with the school principal. This probation period will include a number of observed classroom activities and skills development workshops.

● Following the probation period and additional skills related workshops, SROs will be expected to serve in their appointed schools for a determined duration.

● Assessments, reports and additional ‘all-SRO’ workshops will be ongoing. SROs are expected to be excellent communicators and have strong interpersonal and training skills (one-to-one and group). In addition, conflict management skills (prevention, identification, transformation) will be developed.

Suggested Course OutlineThe five day course will explore the four identified aims of the Safer School Partnerships, namely enforcement, educational, advisory and role model competencies.

Day One: Overview of SROThe course begins with an extensive overview of school based police programmes and the history of the SRO Programmes in general. This will be related to the Kosovo situation, particularly in relation to the involvement of young people in hate crimes and the positive impact that an SRO can have to reduce that type of activity. Such impact could result from diversity training and development (educational SRO role), as well as practical solutions such as the potential of keeping young people occupied in schools during times of escalating tension (advisory/enforcement role of an SRO).

Time is spent discussing the roles and responsibilities of a school-based police officer and integrating that officer into his or her school community. Attendees will be taught the Triad Concept reminding them that the SRO needs to balance the role of law enforcement officer with that of a counsellor/advisor and educator – additionally, they are role-models for the pupils. The remainder of the day is spent preparing the SRO for Public Speaking and Classroom Preparedness. An explanation of Law Related Education will cover the main objective for an SRO's educational program. The officer will be required to participate in a brief public speaking exercise.

In summary the day includes:

● History of School Based Policing;

● The SRO Programme: Triad Concept;

● Roles and Responsibilities of the SRO;

● Being a Positive Role Model;

● Public Speaking;

● Law Related Education.

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8

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Day Two: SRO as Teacher/TrainerThe attendee will spend the day developing those skills necessary for their role as a teacher/trainer through practical exercises linked to the problem-solving skills that are explained in Section 4 of this Handbook. Subjects include: Instructional Techniques, Teacher/Trainer Skills including Classroom Management and Lesson Plan Development. This will emphasise the skills necessary to create individual lessons and curricula, based on the needs of the schools. Time will be allowed at the conclusion of the day for attendees to research and prepare individual lesson plans. In summary:

● Instructional Techniques;

● Problem-solving Skills;

● Classroom Management;

● Lesson Plan Development;

● Preparation Time.

Day Three: SRO as Counsellor/AdvisorThe position of ‘counsellor or advisor’ is an important element of the SROs’ role in their school. The attendees will have an opportunity to work on trust-building exercises, role-play and contribute their experiences as a law enforcement officer. The class will then start the transition to problem-solver within the school and working with Kosovan adolescents. Additional topics emphasising the adolescent and potential problem areas include discussions on Trust Building, Child Abuse, Adolescent Stress, Domestic Violence, Dysfunctional Families, and working with Children with Special Needs.

This day will also explore issues associated with safety procedure and emergency planning. This includes maintaining a safe school environment and a broad discussion on topics related to school safety including handling assaults, arson, hate-crimes, theft, burglary, bomb threats, weapons, alcohol, drug incidents and other issues relevant in Kosovan schools. In summary:

● Counselling Skills;

● Students who have or Cause Problems;

● Adolescent Emotional Issues;

● Domestic Violence;

● Child Abuse;

● Dysfunctional Families;

● Special Education;

● Safety Procedures and Emergency Planning.

Day Four: PresentationsThe entire day is devoted to each attendee running a ten minute presentation for the rest of the group. They will receive feedback, advice and guidance to assist them with future presentations.

Day Five: Written test and certificationThis day is primarily focused on testing the attendees’ knowledge and comprehension of the content of the course. On successful completion they will be awarded a certificate.

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8

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SRO Training of Trainers CourseParticipants of the SRO Basic Skills Development Programme will be selected to attend an additional Training of Trainers Course to further develop their skills to enable them to carry out the following functions:

● Monitor SROs in the field;

● Perform monthly SRO on-site evaluations;

● Submit monthly evaluation reports to the SRO’s supervisor/ manager;

● Perform remedial training for SROs with poor performance evaluations;

● Develop bi-monthly in-service training for SROs;

● Attend monthly SRO trainers meeting.

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APPENDIX 1Kosovo Police Service

Policies and ProceduresTitle: The Unit for the Coordination of Community Policing:

Organisation and Operation (UCCP)

Approving Authority: Director, Kosovo Police Service

I. PolicyThis policy establishes the Unit for the Coordination of Community Policing within the Kosovo Police Service. It also establishes: the Unit’s Mission Statement; the organisational structure of the Unit; the duties and responsibilities of the Unit, including the School Resource Officers that integrate community policing into the policing style of the Kosovo Police Service; and the relationship between the Unit for the Coordination of Community Policing, and Community Safety Partnerships.

While this policy focuses upon the Unit for the Coordination of Community Policing within the Kosovo Police Service, it is important to emphasis that all police officers have a role to play in promoting Community Safety within Kosovo.

II. PurposeThe purpose of establishing the Unit for the Coordination of Community Policing is to reflect the commitment of the Kosovo Police Service to work with, care for and protect the community it serves, by adopting a community policing style that embraces a human rights compliant police culture. The Unit for the Coordination of Community Policing proposes to make communities safer by: identifying and addressing community concerns through problem solving and prevention; being proactive rather than reactive; providing an effective visible presence in the community; establishing School Resource Officers in selected schools; implementing community policing projects, and developing partnerships that work to promote community safety.

Whilst community policing has a lead role to play in community safety, officers from the Unit for the Coordination of Community Policing recognise that they do not have sole responsibility. Indeed, many of the resources needed to solve identified community problems are owned by other institutions, agencies and individuals. Consequently, the Unit recognises and welcomes the commitment of members of community safety partnerships.

III. ProcedureA. The Mission Statement of the UCCPThe people of Kosovo deserve and should receive nothing less than the very best police services available to all people of the world. The key to providing continuous safety and security is having a clear mission by which to guide priorities and decisions in community-based policing. In order to do this, the Unit will strive to establish

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community outreach that encompasses partnerships between police and law-abiding Kosovo citizens. Our strategies, policies, and activities will be co-ordinated with other government agencies and non-governmental organisations with a community-orientated and problem-solving focus.

Through community-orientated policing and problem-solving, it shall be the Unit’s mission to adopt a community relation’s policy and plan of action. Officers shall work assigned areas, building professional relationships through continuous personal contact. Officers will be trained to effectively communicate, deal with diversity and liaise regularly with all sectors of the community. Our contacts with Kosovan society will be strengthened through proactive, non-enforcement activities, with community participation and community-based public safety programs. The community will assist in identifying problems and participate in creative problem-solving approaches to develop responses to concerns.

As Community-Orientated and Problem-Solving Police Officers, we intend to deliver the people of Kosovo a Police Service dedicated to improving the quality of life, and promoting a safe and secure community with a reduced fear of crime. This mission, and this unit, is based on a foundation of integrity, professionalism, co-operation and commitment.

B. Organisational Structure of the UCCPThe Unit is established within the Kosovo Police Service; consequently all officers of the Unit will work in compliance with the Kosovo Police Service Policy and Procedures Manual, and the Community Oriented Policing & Problem Solving Operational Handbook. Officers from the Unit for the Coordination of Community Policing shall not be subject to other operational assignments, shy of an emergency situation.

The Unit is organised with: a Main Headquarters office located at UNMIK Police Headquarters; five regional offices, co-located at each Regional Police Headquarters; and offices at each Police Station throughout Kosovo and School Resource Officers (SROs) at selected Secondary Schools in Kosovo.

C. Command Structure of the UCCP The following human resources are the minimum numbers required to effectively and efficiently provide the citizens of Kosovo with a specialist community policing and problem-solving policing function. Consequently, it is possible to increase the numbers stated, without any alteration to this policy. However, the number of personnel cannot fall below the establishment laid out in this policy.

1. The Unit for the Coordination of Community Policing is an operational unit under the command of the Kosovo Police Service Deputy Commissioner for Operations.

2. The Unit office at Main Headquarters will consist of the chief of the unit, who shall be termed the Co-ordinator (CivPol) of the Unit for the Coordination of Community Policing. The Co-ordinator is responsible for the day-to-day tactical delivery of Community Policing by the Unit in Kosovo. This officer will be assisted by six Deputy Co-ordinators (two CivPol and four KPS officers of rank).

3. The five regional officers will each be comprised of one Regional Co-ordinator (CivPol) and two Deputies (KPS).

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4. The structure for Community Policing through the Unit for the Coordination of Community Policing calls for the dedicated deployment of the following numbers of officers:

- A1 Stations - Community-based policing will be integrated into the entire workforce.

- A2 Stations - 4

- B1 Stations - 6

- B2 Stations - 8

- B3 Stations - 12

- B4 Stations - 17

- Sub-stations - 2 who work co-operatively with their ‘mother-station’.

5. School Resource Officers (SROs) are youth-interaction specialists within the Unit for the Coordination of Community Policing, who are seconded to selected Secondary Schools in Kosovo. Each SRO will undergo a probationary period and additional skills related workshops as laid out in the Unit’s Operational Handbook.

6. This policy recognises that the central control/management processes described here are not in keeping with the overarching principles of community policing, which is de-centralised. Therefore, once community policing principles are established in Kosovo it is envisaged that the Command Structure section of this policy will be reviewed and altered.

D. General Duties and Responsibilities of the UCCP1. Kosovo Police Service Deputy Commissioner for Operations is

responsible for co-ordinating and directing this Policy at a strategic level.

2. The primary duties and responsibilities of the Office of the Co-ordinator will be: the overall directing, management, guiding and motivating of community officers and units Kosovo-wide; maintaining the personnel and training records of the community officers; initiating Community Policing projects; monitoring SROs; updating community officers in the field, and promoting Community Safety Partnerships. When appropriate, tasks and duties will be delegated to Regional Co-ordinators.

3. The Regional Co-ordinators are responsible for Municipal/Station Level community policing teams and, assisted by their Deputies, for implementing and reporting on community policing projects at a regional level. This allows flexibility to be built into the structure to ensure that policy, in relation to Community Policing and Community Safety, is identified and addressed, taking into account local geographical concerns.

4. Under the command of the Regional Co-ordinators and their Deputies, the community policing teams at police stations will proactively identify and address problems that affect the quality of life of the communities in their respective areas, thereby providing a local response to local problems.

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5. Following additional training as prescribed in the Community Oriented Policing & Problem Solving Operational Handbook, SROs will carry out safety awareness and empowerment activities in selected Primary and Secondary School in Kosovo.

E. The Kosovo Community Based Policing Steering Group

The Kosovo Community Based Policing Steering Group (KCBP-SG) is the overseeing, co-ordinating and supporting body for community-based policing and community safety activities/initiatives in Kosovo.

Whilst the KCBP-SG is not an authorizing body, it will make recommendations to its members who have authority to authorise actions in their own organisational roles. The KCBP-SG will then endorse and support the implementation and monitoring of those actions as agreed by its members.

The primary aim of the KCBP-SG is to facilitate Kosovo-wide community-based policing and community safety policies and practices to aid the transition process, through its recommendations, actions, co-ordination of activities and use of resources. The KCBP-SG should be aware of all community-based policing and community safety activities/initiatives to enable this process to be both effective and efficient.

IV. Professional QualificationsThe Unit for the Coordination of Community Policing is a highly specialised unit; therefore officers who are responsible for community policing must have the opportunity to develop their existing policing skills and to obtain the new ones that the role demands. These needs will be identified through the KCBP-SG Working Group on training.

A. Officers from the Unit for the Coordination of Community Policing shall have completed the required amount of basic, and field training before joining the Unit.

B. Additionally, officers are required to complete the training and development programmes prescribed in the Community Oriented Policing & Problem Solving Operational Handbook, whilst they are on the Unit.

C. All qualifications, training and development must be approved by the Office of KPS Training, and the Office of the Unit for the Coordination of Community Policing.

V. Meetings and Reporting A. The Office of the Co-ordinator will convene twice-weekly progress

meetings attended by the Deputy Co-ordinators.

B. The Office of the Co-ordinator will convene monthly strategic progress and important/sensitive information sharing meetings attended by Deputy Co-ordinators and Regional Co-ordinators. Results of these meetings will be shared with Team Leaders.

C. Co-ordinators will have a separate monthly meeting with each RHQ team.

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D. Regional Co-ordinators will convene monthly progress meetings attended by Station Level Team Leaders. The results of these meetings will feed into the monthly meetings described in B above.

E. Co-ordinators will have a separate monthly meeting with each Station Level Team.

F. Station Level Team Leaders will convene twice-weekly progress meetings with their community policing Teams.

G. The Office of the Co-ordinator will ensure that officers meet all relevant KPS reporting requirements. This includes; the submission of all weekly and meeting reports. It also includes all Unit submissions to quarterly, mid-term, annual and other reports as deemed necessary.

H. The Office of the Co-ordinator will ensure that all requests for information are properly registered, recorded and completed.

Main Headquarters

International Coordinator KPS Coordinator

Regional Headquarters

International Coordinator KPS Coordinator

KPS Coordinator

International Coordinator KPS Coordinator

Police Stations

Internationals KPS Officers

Monitor function Varies according to size of station