Seminar Held on Community Policing

Community Policing (CEPOL reference: 93/2008 and 37b/2007) was the subject of the second step seminar held in Athens, Greece on 26-28 February 2008. The first step was (CEPOL reference 37a/2007) was organised in Latvia in May 2007.

The main aims of the seminar included:

• To continue to develop an innovative and sustainable Community Policing approach;
• To describe new innovative and viable developments of Community Policing;
• To share good practices and methods;
• To use topical scientific based knowledge in the sphere of Community Policing;
• To focus on managing partnerships and participation and to propose “good practices”;
• To ensure cooperation, define its easiness and complexity as well as usefulness;
• To formulate challenging action plans for future developments in National Police forces;
• To enhance networking and cooperation between participants, trainers, policing professionals and educational developers within other European Police services.

Six trainers from five countries and 22 participants from 17 countries took part in the seminar.

The first day of the seminar was dedicated to introductory and practical issues, including: “Police Officer of the Neighbourhood” and “The Practical Implementation of the Community Policing Concept in a Belgian Police Zone”. Day one finished with a study visit to the archaeological site of Acropolis, where the participants had the chance to see by themselves the practical and daily approach of Community Policing in an area of major interest.

The second day of the seminar was dedicated to several practical issues and approaches concerning Community Policing, including:

• Community Policing: The Criminology Approach to Community Policing;
• Community Policing: The Start in Portugal - A Tactical Approach;
• Community Policing Realisation in Latvia - Theory and Practice.

Two workshops followed and the day finished with a study visit to the Centre of Police Operations of the General Police Division of Attica.

Gabriel Mc Intyre, a participant from Ireland, said: “I found the seminar very well structured, informative and with good content. There were excellent speakers on relevant topics.”

One of the experts, Hugo Guinote from Portugal, stated: “It is fundamental for every police officer to be in the place where modern democracy was born; between the walls you can hear the whisper of human rights, the appeal of peace and security, of safety and harmony, a breeze of freedom. We all conclude that Community Policing is starting a new phase. It is no more in its childhood, it is now entering a grown-up phase, meeting new concepts and trying to incorporate them in the same future police model.”

The seminar was organised by the CEPOL unit of the Hellenic Police Academy.