Anniversary Reflections

7/27/2019 Anniversary Reflections

1/74

A DECADE OF EUROPEAN COOPERATION

IN POLICE TRAINING

Anniversary Reflections


2/74

A DECADE OF EUROPEAN COOPERATIONA DECADE OF EUROPEAN COOPERATIONIN POLICE TRAININGIN POLICE TRAINING

Anniversary ReflectionsAnniversary Reflections


3/74

Europe Direct is a service to help you find answers

to your questions about the European Union.

Freephone number (*):

00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11

(*) Certain mobile telephone operators do not allow access to 00 800 numbers or these calls may be billed.

More information on the European Union is available on the Internet (http://europa.eu).

Cataloguing data can be found at the end of this publication.

Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2011

ISBN 978-92-9211-008-6

doi:10.2825/13186

European Union, 2011

CEPOL, 2011Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.

Printed in France

Printed on elemental chlorine-free bleached paper (ECF)


4/74

Foreword

In 2011, the European Police College CEPOL can celebrate a 10th anniversary ofactivities animated by the overall aim to contribute to European police cooperation throughlearning.It marks a decade of efforts made by numerous individuals and organisations across theMember States of the European Union and beyond, inspired and motivated by the simplebut compelling idea of providing for a dedicated European dimension of police training andeducation in challenging and dynamic times.

In fact, one might argue that CEPOL is just the latest institutional materialisation of a conceptand vision of police cooperation and training in Europe dating further back in time than justthe Council decision in the year 2000, the 1999 Tampere Summit or the foundation of theAEPC in 1995. As the links and interdependence between societies, organisations and peoplebecome ever more intertwined on the global and particularly on the European level, it hasbecome indisputable that education and training of police leadership and police officers must keep pace with the ever evolvingchallenges affecting the global arena, and our European home more specifically.

A definitive history of CEPOL and its embeddedness into broader political and social lines is a book which has yet to be written.

This is a worthy ambition in itself, but it is not what this small book could have been about or even aspired to.Instead, we sent out a call for contributions to the Member States, inviting them to ask key members of the CEPOL network toshare their personal views, assessments and experiences of 10 years of working with CEPOL. The outcome isdocumented in this book and it should be clear that it is a very selective and stochastic sample of people who havesubstantially contributed to CEPOLs development over time. However, written by CEPOL insiders, this collection gives an insightabout the huge amount of thinking, managing and planning that is behind the more tangible outcomes of CEPOLs programmesand products.

As the authors were specifically encouraged to write from their personal experience and personal point of view, the book is

a genuine reflection of that and not of CEPOL as an EU agency. Nevertheless, the collection will hopefully highlight thistremendous collective intellectual enterprise: the provision of the highest possible level of quality for police education and trainingin Europe, guided by a clear vision of its European dimension.

We thank all contributors for their efforts and input, and sincerely hope you will enjoy the read.

Dr. Ferenc BnfiDirector of the European Police College


5/74


6/74

Contents

THE MEMBER STATESAd van Baal, Michiel Holtackers and Sandra Wijkhuis

Andrzej Zawadzki

Alain Ruelle

Risto Pullat

Paul Hawkaluk

NETWORK & GOVERNANCE

Klaus Neidhardt

Nevenka Tomovi

Carla Falua

Emile Perez

Eduardo Viegas Ferreira

TRAINING & LEARNING AFFAIRS

David IAnsonGrete Ba-Flaaten

Rossanna Farina

Marek Link

Renato Raggi

RESEARCH & SCIENCE

Jnos Fehrvry

Risto Honkonen

CEPOL publications

0708

10

12

14

16

19

20

24

26

28

30

33

3438

42

46

48

53

54

64

70


7/74


8/74

THE MEMBER

STATES


9/74

Ad van Baal Governing BoardMichiel Holtackers Chair, Annual Programme Committee National Contact Point, the Netherlands

Sandra Wijkhuijs National Contact Point, the NetherlandsMember of Working Group on Learning

The European Police College has a short past but already a long and roaring history.

The Netherlands feels privileged that we could be part of this history from the beginning.

Our participation is twofold, as is the case with the other Member States.We are consumers as well as producers of many of the useful learning activities thathave been carried out during the last decade. Hundreds of our senior police officershave benefited from the advantages offered by the network. The knowledge, skills andcompetences gained have notably improved their performance in both the internationaland the national working fields.

Besides this, we cannot underestimate other positive effects of the CEPOL business.The consecutive policy plans of the Council of the European Union stress over and over

08

CongratulationsCEPOL!


10/74

again the importance of the European strategyon police cooperation. The strategy aims toachieve mutual recognition of the legal outputof law enforcement organisations in the EU.An indispensable condition for effectivelyimplementing a system of mutual recognitionis the existence of mutual trust among theMember States.

Valuable professional contacts have emergedfrom participating in courses and seminars.These contacts allow our professionals tocompare and contrast their own methodsand practices with others. It is clear thatthese contacts mutually affect police officersin Europe and boost trust. The very positiveeffect of this contact is that European policeofficers will be recognised by others for theprofessionalism of their daily work, and viceversa.

The European PoliceCollege has a short past butalready a long and roaringhistory

Furthermore it stimulates a genuine police andjudicial culture of professionalism. This culturein turn establishes contacts, and in combinationwith quality legislation, will open new waysof making daily improvement normal for eachand every police organisation.

One of the really unique features of theCEPOL network is the bringing of Europe intothe Member States, instead of the opposite.Organising courses and seminars based onEuropean regulations provides Europe with animage of concrete added value for policing.

09

This brings us to the reality of 2011. CEPOL hasdone a great job in its short past. The functionof the agency is, as far as the Netherlands isconcerned, undisputed.

The challenge for the next decade is toexpand the learning activities and to intensify,where the subsidiarity principle exists,CEPOLs efforts to contribute as a preferredand dominant supplier to the creation anddevelopment of a genuine police and judicialculture among Member States.

With a strong CEPOL, the future looks bright!


11/74

Andrzej Zawadzki

On the occasion of CEPOLs 10th anniversary, let us look back to previous years, to the pre-accession period as well as to the period from 1 May 2004 when Poland became a MemberState of the European Union.

The Polish police already wanted involvement in CEPOL activities, including participationin meetings of the Governing Board and some executive bodies, during the pre-accessionperiod. They have organised several projects in thefield of ethics, management and publicorder since 2002. This cooperation aroused great interestproven by the fact that 38 of thePolish representatives took part in training activities in 2003.

Since joining the EU, the involvement of the Polish side has grown and we now participatein a number of new initiatives at CEPOL and take full advantage of opportunities forcooperation with the Member States and third countries.

10

Reflections on Polandscontribution to CEPOL

Head of CEPOL National Contact Point, Poland

Head of Non-operational Cooperation Unit,International Police Cooperation Bureau,National Police Headquarters, Poland

11


12/74

Like the other Member States, Poland is a supportingentity and organiser of projects in the CEPOL annualtraining programme, especially in the fields ofdrug-related crime, organised vehicle crime, childpornography, security and public order and crime incyberspace. There is also another significant factorthe organisation of a series of projects addressed tothird countries as the target group.

This includes the training of representatives of thecandidate countries, a conference on cooperationwith the European neighbourhood policy countries

offices and organisational units of the KGP and,especially, with training units, the police academyin Szczytno, the police schools in Katowiceand Supsk and the police training centre inLegionowo. The Polish side sees the currentinitiatives as positive, as are the activities plannedin the long and short term.

The Polish police have also been involved in thefive-year evaluation concerning the structureand functioning of CEPOL. They participatedin a special working group that deals with new

11

and involvement in the second edition of the MEDAII training programme for the Mediterranean states(Euromed), implemented through the organisationof a specialist course on combating financial crime(in 2008). Poland also participates as one of themost active countries in the multilateral exchange

programmes carried out by CEPOL since 2007, and itdelegates its representatives to participate in trainingprojects undertaken by other Member States of the EUand by third countries.

The Polish training initiative Euroeast Police addressed to the countries covered by the EasternPartnership programmeshould also be strengthened,as part of the Stockholm programme and the EUsinternal security strategy. The programme wasinitiated by the International Police CooperationBureau at national police headquarters, and the

primary version of programme assumptions waselaborated within the CEPOL national contact point.

As in many other Member States, due to theorganisational structure of the Polish police,international cooperation within the framework ofCEPOL is conducted by the national contact pointlocated within the national police headquarters (KGP).The activity there is carried out in cooperation withother organisational units including regional police

organisational objectives and implementation ofthe short-term recommendations of the CEPOLGoverning Board. This is to make the agencymore flexible and to focus on the current trainingneeds of the police in the EU Member States.

Further training cooperation at CEPOL shouldbe based on the knowledge and experience ofMember States, including the use of specialistlearning centres, for example in thefight againstdrug crime. It should also be closely in line withthe training needs of Member States and with thepriorities of the European Unionas containedin the OCTA reports, or formulated by the EUCouncil, the European Commission, the COSI andthe other agencies within the area of justice andhome affairs.

To sum up, the anniversary of CEPOL certainlyleads to deeper reflection and to attempts tomake a comprehensive summary of the majorjoint achievements to date, as well as plans andintentions for the future.

This is to make CEPOL more flexible and to focus on the currenttraining needs of the police and of the EU Member States

12


13/74

Alain Ruelle

Belgium has been involved in CEPOL since the very beginning of the network, byensuring its second presidency in thefirst half of 2001.

CEPOLs foundations still had to be precisely determined and a large part of this verybusy presidency consisted of settingfinancial and structural rules, having them approvedby Member States and European authorities, and preparing the annual programme andbudget for the next year. Despite these already very heavy tasks and the lack of anyformal budget, the presidency, together with the member colleges, managed to organiseno fewer than 10 training activities, financed by the organising colleges and by theparticipants themselves.

It was the start of a steady development of the CEPOL networkwhich was not yeta European agencyas a major player in the field of international police training.The following years have seen the annual programme become more and morecomprehensive, the CEPOL structure develop and the number of activities increase,towards an extensive network that was to become an official EU body.

12

National Contact Point, BelgiumGoverning Board

CEPOL: A major player inthe field of internationalpolice training

Head of CEPOL Belgium,Belgian Federal Police

13


14/74

Belgiums second key contribution wasits presidency in 2010, during whichCEPOL formalised its strategy, developed amanagement monitoring toolthe BalancedScorecardsand issued recommendationsregarding its five-year evaluation.It is an evaluation that settles the basis forthe agencys future and its positioning: fromCEPOLs perspective, many new challengeshave been raised. The main one is probablythe restructuring of both the organisation chartof the agency and network and its workingprocedures. This calls for CEPOL to be furtherdeveloped to become the reference when itcomes to the training of law enforcementpersonnel in the European Union.

13

As a precondition, the entire CEPOL portfoliohas to reflect not only the Member States needsbut also the priorities of the EU and of ourstakeholders. Parallel to that, the quality of allCEPOL products is of paramount importance.CEPOL has therefore to work on a Europeanquality control system for police training.

For a decade now, CEPOL has been tryingto disseminate police knowledge among theMember States. To this end, it works very wellas a forum for sharing and supporting bestpractices through common training sessions.We have to continue to stimulate and supportthis system, as well as to develop it.

CEPOL must not only concentrate on thedevelopment of connections between theEuropean police colleges, but must also try tobecome connected with the higher educationalsector in Europe, the private sector and

The entire CEPOL portfolio has to reflect not only the MemberStates needs, but also the EU and our stakeholders priorities

countries and bodies beyond EU boundaries.This should allow all of them to exchangeknowledge and learn from each other.Becoming a network of networks, a metanetwork, is something CEPOL as a wholecould aim at.

14


15/74

Estonias securityis Europes security

Risto Pullat

CEPOL Governing Board Member 2005

Chair of Annual Programme Committee 2010

Police Lt. Col., Estonian Police and BorderGuard Board

Estonia considers its internal security to be a part of international security. That is whythe Estonian police seek and back solutions that have a favourable impact on Estonia andother states.

Global trends confirm the understanding that security is the purpose and result ofinternational cooperation. Implications of international crises and conflicts, as well as theneed for their solution, affect Estonia more and more. External and internal security risksinteract.

A safe living and working environment is now an asset for Estonia. A subjective feeling ofsafety is as important as an objective safe situation and the international image of Estoniaas a safe place. In worldwide comparisons, Estonia is one of the safe countriesinternalsecurity issues in Estonia and other EU countries are to a large extent the same andimproving them is possible only in close cooperation.

15


16/74

Readiness for facing new security risks requires a broader outlookand greater professionalism of law enforcement officers

paving the way for communication betweenvaluable people. People engaged in the CEPOLnetwork act as human bridges who disseminateresearch findings in their organisations. Theparticipation of Estonian police in CEPOLactivity helps to improve the Estonian imageof a safe country through internationalcooperation. Readiness for facing new securityrisks requires a broader outlook and greaterprofessionalism of law enforcement officers.CEPOL products create diverse possibilities forpersonal training.

What did we bring to CEPOL? What was theEstonian polices best practice that we couldshare with law enforcement officers fromother EU countries? What was our strategy forself-assertion in the EU? We knew what to doin CEPOL. Being in CEPOL means constantdecision-making in Tallinn and explainingour decisions and choices at Governing Boardmeetings. In compiling a strategy for self-

Looking back at the birth of CEPOL we can

see that the agency has undergone remarkabledevelopment. It has become an importantplayer in the realm of internal security training.It is also fostering cooperation with different EUagencies, international organisations and globalactors such as the USA, China and Russia.

Cooperation between Estonian law enforcementofficers and other EU law enforcement agencieshas to be implemented at all levels. CEPOLhas formed a unique environment orientedtowards developing the professional skills oflaw enforcement officers at the same time as

assertion we knew our strengths and weaknesses.

We participated in the development of the CEPOLflagship course, Topspoc, and backed Finnishcolleagues in the North East Europe OrganisedCrime Organisations course design. As APCChair, we worked hard to adopt a new frameworkand grant agreements for the implementation ofCEPOL activities, and for the new CEPOL trainingand learning activities analysis tool (ActivityAnalysis Overview).

In one of his speeches, Estonias President LennartMeri summarised the vision of his countrys returnto Europewhich came trueand its anchoring

into a community with trans-Atlantic securityand values: Europes future is marked with

two keywords: EU and NATO. These twoorganisations are the embodiment of what weaspire to and can never have too much ofprosperity and security. Why can there never betoo much prosperity? Because prosperity has apleasant by-product named stability.

On CEPOLs anniversary I would like tothank all CEPOL networkers for backing us inaccomplishing Estonias endeavours and I wishyou success in your relentless dedication to

making our mutual European home safer.

16


17/74

Paul Hawkaluk

So there I was, in my office at West Yorkshire Police Driver Training and Development.It was a typical English summers day in 2007, it was raining. The phone rang and it wasmy former boss.Was I interested in applying for the job as UK national contact point forCEPOL? CEPOL? Whats that?

It was all very civilised and polite. Well, mostlyI looked through the window at the rain and dreamed of working in a warm and sunnyEurope.

In short, I was interviewed and got the job for a three-year secondment.Within weeksI was in Lisbon at a Governing Board meeting, where my eyes were opened up todemocratic processes, European style. It was all very civilised and polite (well mostly).

National Contact Point, UK

The day CEPOLchanged my life

Inspector,

International AcademyNational Policing Improvement Agency, UK

17


18/74

After several months of getting to know the CEPOL

gang (sorry, network), I realised that Britishpolicing was not the best in the world at everythingany more. Policing actually crossed borders! Wewere no longer an island in splendid isolation! TheUK was actually part of Europe! As the monthspassed, I made more and more contacts fromcountries across the EU, many of them becomingfriends who remain so to this day. Whilst theweather in Europe is not always warm and sunny,the welcome is.

I have also been amazed by the language abilitiesdisplayed by my European colleagues, attendingtraining events which are (thankfully for UK cops)held in English.

CEPOL extols the fact that it is a network. It is allabout cooperation through learning.

I agree. Now I really am a GOOD EUROPEAN!


19/74

2001: Sweden 2002: Spain Denmark

Netherlands

2005: Luxembourg United Kingdom 2006: Austria

2004: Ireland

2009: Czech

Republic

2003: Greece

France

Finland

Portugal

2011: Hungary

Italy

Belgium

2008: Slovenia2007: Germany

Sweden 2010: Spain Belgium

CE

POLGov

erningBo

ards

2001

2011


20/74

NETWORK

&

GOVERNANCE

20


21/74

Klaus Neidhardt

CEPOL as a personal experience

In late June 2002, in the Polizei-Fhrungsakademie, a ceremony took place on theoccasion of the retirement of my predecessor, Dr Rainer Schulte, and of my introduction.The first director of CEPOL, Ulf Gransson, was one of the speakers, and in the eveningwhen we had dinner in Mnster I was sitting beside him together with several CEPOLGoverning Board members from different European countries. That was my first contactwith CEPOL, one and a half years after it had been set up.

From July 2002 to this day I have been the German member in the CEPOL GoverningBoard. The German Academy for Police Leadership meanwhile has been transformedinto the German Police University. CEPOL has accompanied me through all the years, hasalways been an essential part of my work and has had a significant impact on my viewsand on my competencies. Being very cautious in the first Governing Board meetingsand looking for guidance on CEPOLs functioning, working methods, and scope, I wasvery soon convinced, and still am, that CEPOL stands for the most important Europeandimension of police training and educationwhich we urgently need as a complement toour national approach.

President, German Police University, Mnster

Three views on CEPOL

Governing Board MemberGoverning Board Chair 2007Chair of Training & Research Committee 20092010

21


22/74

CEPOL has given a lot to me personally. Being

not only a German by citizenship but also aEuropean by conviction, I believe that CEPOLhas made a real European of me. Meeting andhaving close personal contact with so manycolleagues and experts in the field of policetraining and education from all over Europe haswidened and deepened my understanding ofpolice training and about what we can achievetogether.

It has made the European variety and richness

of cultures and approaches in policing veryconcrete to me. On the other hand I haverecognised that we share common values, anddespite all our differences, more and morepeople have a common understanding ofprofessional policing.

I have also understood more about modernstandards in the field of vocational trainingfor police officers. During these years withCEPOL, I was not only involved in Governing

Board matters but was also active in variouscommittees and project groups, readingthousands of pages related to the tasks ofCEPOL and to other CEPOL issues. I got a lot ofinspiring ideas, examples of successful conceptsand strategies and of good practice. All thishelped me a lot to reflect on our own approachand experience and to bring forward our ownaffairs.

We share commonvalues, and despite alldifferences, more andmore people have acommon understanding ofprofessional policing

Being part of the big CEPOL family in an

atmosphere of mutual respect, of familiarityand growing trust, we commonly experiencedenormous hospitality all over Europe being guests in so many countries during thechanging European presidencies. We alsobecame aware that everybody strives and trieshis or her best to contribute to the developmentof CEPOL, to a good programme and to goodresults by implementing the activities.

View on Network and Governance

The idea and the concept of CEPOL from thebeginning was of a network of national policeacademies, colleges and universities that arein charge of police education and trainingof senior police officers within the EuropeanUnion. This concept sprang partly from goodexperiences with the Association of EuropeanPolice Colleges (AEPC), which was founded in1996.

There were several good reasons to establishCEPOL as a network: the national policecolleges are tasked and experienced ineducation and training matters, they canprovide lecturers on all policing subjects and, ifspecialists are needed that they cannot providethemselves, they at least know where tofindthem. They have the best possible overviewof their national police and police trainingsystems, being part of them.

The national colleges know a lot about thetarget group of CEPOL activities, aboutthe training needs of police officers, abouttheir preconditions, their professional levelsand their motivation for further trainingor other activities, and also about efficienttraining methods. They can communicatethe CEPOL programme within their nationalchannels of communication and they have the

22


23/74

infrastructure and the logistics to implement

CEPOL training activities, on their own ortogether with partners.

Looking at all the advantages of the nationalpolice colleges acting as a network for settingup and implementing a European training andeducation programme for police officers, itseems to be clear that a centralised institute inone of the Member States could never fulfil thistask with similar efficiency. At the very least,expenses and efforts would be much higher and

probably the support of national colleges wouldbe needed anyway.

But organising all the knots of the networkto prepare and implement such a programmeis a great challenge, despite clear purposes,objectives and measures being defined by theCouncil decision. Even bearing in mind thatnational ministries or the colleges themselveshave decided to take part in CEPOL, they stillremain independent and cannot be forced toanything they do not want to do. There is nosuperior management which could implementany kind of management plan or strategywithout consent, capability and willingness ofthe members.

In addition the knots are very differentaccording to the size of the Member State inwhich a college is situated, the size of the policeforce, the function of the college in nationalpolice structures and its specific tasks andresources. For a functioning network, severalconditions have to be met: there must be acoordinating organ, a common understandingand a general consensus among the elementsabout what can be achieved together, agreedworking procedures and a certain level ofcommitment by all of them. It then takestime to develop and stabilise a balancednetwork system.

Soafter developing programme activities

and procedures of cooperation between theSecretariat and the member collegestherewas very soon a vivid discussion about themost appropriate governance structure forCEPOL, within or beyond the framework of theCouncil decision of 2000. Afirst culminationof this discussion took place before the end of2003, when the report on CEPOLs first threeyears had to be delivered. Some Member Stateswere in favour of a kind of centre for Europeanpolice training but the big majority stuck to the

network.

The network charactermust be preserved

Later the option to become an EU agencyseemed to be a solution for all problems.A reliable and solidly financed budget andwell-established EU staff regulations werevery attractive for the representatives of theMember States. Apart from these two issues,no major changes in the functioning of thenetwork were announced or foreseen. So in2006, CEPOL started its second phase as an EUagency. Nobody had expected the huge amountof bureaucratic regulations which had to beadapted and taken over by CEPOL.

The small team, consisting of the CEPOLDirector and the understaffed CEPOLSecretariat members, who had only recentlymoved to the new location at Bramshilland were not specialists in the field of EUadministration, could not cope with all therequirements. Although the presidencies didtheir best to support the process of takingover the EU acquis it took too much time, wasnot sufficient and so caused many criticalstatements by the European Court of Auditors.It was the new CEPOL Director, Ferenc

23


24/74

Bnfi, and the partly renewed and completed

Secretariat who finally managed to implementall regulations and to fulfil all demands.

But the discussion about the most appropriategovernance structure and procedures continues.There are good options for optimisingCEPOLs governance, and one way is to furtherstrengthen the CEPOL Secretariat. To simplifythe way of preparing the CEPOL programmeand Governing Board decisions in generalby reducing the level and number of CEPOL

bodies involved seems to be another one. Allthis can be taken into consideration as long asthe network character of CEPOL is kept, andall Member States and their colleges, whichimplement CEPOL activities, remain involvedin the decision-making process. And if a newperiod of CEPOL is started on the basis ofa new Council decision, possibly with newfunctions in the framework of a EuropeanTraining Scheme, the character of the networkmust be preserved.

Only in this way will the police academies,universities and colleges involved bring in alltheir competencies, working together with theCEPOL Director and the Secretariat, improvingand developing themselves in the directionof European standards by learning from eachother. These effects could never be realised by acentralised agency.

A short look at the achievements

In a globalised world with growing cross-border criminality and common problems inthe field of public security, no one doubts thatnational police services have to cooperate asbest as they can to maintain Europe as an areaof freedom, security and justice. Consequently,one of the most important objectives of the

Stockholm programme is the training and

education of police officers all over Europe,and especially of senior police officers, to makethem competent for international cooperation.If CEPOL had not already been in place,something similar would have had to befounded.

Looking back at 10 years of CEPOL, muchhas been achieved. Thousands of policeofficers from all over Europe have attendedseminars, training courses and symposia on

a wide variety of relevant subjects, takenpart in exchange programmes and informedthemselves about research findings andexamples of best practice. Modules to beintegrated into national police educationprogrammes have been developed, along withe-learning components, and ambitious projectsto enhance cooperation in developing regionshave been successfully carried out by CEPOL.

Many high-level professional and educational

activities have been implemented by committedorganisers, lecturers and police officers fromall European Member States, supported veryefficiently by the CEPOL Secretariat andDirector. A very attractive and informativewebsite has been established. And CEPOL hasgained very satisfying evaluation results fromparticipants and by external assessment for itsprogramme activities.

Looking at CEPOLs yearly programmes and

reports from 2001 until 2011, a continuousimprovement can be seen. There are plentyof good reasons to be proud at CEPOLs 10thanniversary.

24


25/74

Nevenka Tomovi

CEPOL is celebrating its 10th anniversary. My involvement with it started in 2003 andcoincided with the preparation for and entry of Slovenia into the European Union. For mepersonally and for some of my colleagues it was an interesting time of new perspectivesand intensive learning.

Sometimes at the beginning when we new countries attended thefirst Governing Boardmeetings as observers, I felt like I was disturbing a well-functioning family atmosphere. Wecannot forget the former CEPOL Director, Ulf Gransson, and his abilities to connect, hiswillingness to bring us together and the feeling of belonging he gave us. On the other handit was not easy to convince top police management at home that involvement in CEPOL isour obligation and that mutual cooperation is a necessity and a benefit for organisationallearning in a contemporary world.

We cannot say that Slovenia was the only case. Before the last decade of the previouscentury hardly any police organisations in Europe were really open for cooperation. Somebilateral contacts were quite enough to maintain control over cross-border crime.Traditional values and new cultural values were discussed in the study Leadership

Former Head of the Training Centre, Slovenian Police Academy

Joining CEPOL:new perspectivesand intensive learning

Governing Board MemberChair of the Governing Board 2008Chair of the Working Group on Learning 20082010

25


26/74

competencies for successful change

management (1), during the SlovenianPresidency in 2008 in the framework of the

European Public Administration Network(EUPAN). The study shows that traditionalvalues and new cultural values coexist inpublic administration institutions in the EU,but are negatively correlated with multiculturalskills, understanding, innovation, training andchanging the organisation. Resistance to changeis positively associated with planning anddecision-making skills and a belief in chance, aswell as with a highly regulated environment.The history of CEPOL can confirm some of thesefindings.

Younger police officersare happy and enthusiasticabout CEPOL activitiesCEPOL was established as a network to bringtogether senior police officers, to help trainthem and to support and develop a Europeanapproach to the main problems facing MemberStates. CEPOL has difficulties involving seniorpolice officers for many reasons; these maybe workload and time, language or a lackof motivation for learning and change. Butexperiences show that younger police officersare happy and enthusiastic about CEPOLactivities. Education and training is interventionfor the future: we have to prepare police officersfor future work and demands, and we have toprepare future senior officers.

Organising training activities, bringingtogether the best experts from the EU andgiving police officers the opportunity to meet,to gain new information and knowledge, todiscuss professional problems and to find new

solutions means more than plain learning. It

builds professional networks, multiculturalcompetencies, personal contacts andrelationships among people, and it builds trust,which is essential to maintain a stable networkand is vital for the maintenance of cooperation. Itbuilds a European dimension.Being a network gives all of these advantages.It means respecting and understanding all kindof differences in organisational structures andrespecting partners and the different scopesof their involvement. A network is aboutnetworking, it cannot survive without learning

and it needs time.It may not always be easy to work as a network,but this is the only way to bring together a largenumber of European countries, different typesof actors and several distinct and sometimescompeting objectives, and this can make adifference. Networks are based on a culture ofreciprocity, on a culture of giving and taking.You have to give first, then you have to investcommitment to get it back.

During my involvement in CEPOL I gota lot and I tried to contribute. I met manyextraordinary people, for which I am reallygrateful. I have learnt a lot, and I appreciate thecommitment and work done by the Secretariat.I was impatient sometimes, but I realised thatCEPOL as a network simply needs time to growand time to learn, to improve its governanceand decision-making process and to raisetacit awareness among its network about theneed for permanent learning and the need for

cooperation in police education and training.Learning is not just about gaining newknowledge; it is an ability to adapt to newenvironments and to know how to assesscontingencies, how to make decisions and howto change.

(1) Pagon, M., Banutai, E. and Bizjak, U., Leadership competencies for successful change management, 2008. Available at:

http://www.eupan.eu/files/repository/newsletter/slovenia/Study__2_.pdf (accessed 22 July 2011).

26


27/74

Supporting CEPOL todayand in the future,as in the past

Carla Falua

In April 2007, I was appointed as the new Director of the ISPJCC (the Judicial PoliceAcademy), just a few months before the Portuguese Presidency of the EU.

I remember now the hard work that I and my small team did to prepare for the event andmake it successful. Our experience of CEPOL affairs was, then, very limited so we had tocover a lot in a very short time, beginning with an intensive visit to Bramshill in order tounderstand the work of the Secretariat and its capacities.

During that time we were also involved in the negotiations with representatives of theRussian Federation, who were then seeking an agreement with CEPOL. I remember agreat meeting in Mnster, Germany, with German and Russian colleagues that took placewith the handover between the two presidencies.

The warm-up to the presidency was, for us, the organisation of the CEPOL annualconference in June 2007 with delegations from all over the world. Recognition of thesuccess of the conference made us more confident.

Nevertheless, chairing CEPOL GB during the second half of 2007 was a challenge. Asignificant part of the workforce from our institute worked on that task. The Portugueseauthorities gave us valued support, confirmed by the presence of the Minister for Justicein the opening ceremony of the first GB hold in Portugal.

Director, ISPJCC (Judiciary Police Academy)

CEPOL Governing Board Chair 2007Governing Board Member

27


28/74

a reliable organisation in the context of theEU. On the other hand we cant forget that it

was during our presidency that the first signsof disturbance related to performance of theSecretariat appeared. It was a very difficultissue to deal with. The outcome is known byeverybody.

Another important achievement reachedduring our presidency was the signature of theagreement with Europol, done in The Hague,after years of negotiations.

During the following years, we kept ourpositive spirit towards CEPOL, organisingcourses, conferences and being part of theEuromed II project which was an importantachievement.

Finally, we would like to confirm that ourinstitute will keep on supporting CEPOL todayand in the future as we did in the past.

We are sure that the commitment of all MemberStates delegations was of added value in ourefforts to assist CEPOL to be recognised as

Chairing the CEPOL Governing Board during the second half of 2007

was a challenge

28


29/74

Emile Perez

The Tampere vision

At a meeting in Tampere in October 1999, the European Council members agreed that a

European Police College (CEPOL) should be established to train senior officers of policeand law enforcement forces. They had a vision for the future in policing.

They also agreed that CEPOL should initially consist of a network of existing nationaltraining institutes, without precluding the establishment of a permanent institution at alater stage.After a first Council decision in 2000 and three prefiguration training coursestests, the conviction was strong: CEPOL could become operational on 1 January 200110years ago.Thefirst activity took place in 2001 at the cole Nationale Suprieure de la Police in Saint-Cyr-au-Mont-dOr, France, with inter alia the support of Spanish and Finnish colleagues.

The topic was community policing and sessions were on the bonds to be renewed withthe population. Thefirst 50 trainees did not know yet that they were the pioneers of aformidable police training adventure: the construction of Europe. And let us remember thatat that time, the European Union only comprised 15 Member States

Nevertheless, with Pierre Antonmattei, Director of the French National Police TrainingDepartment, and one of the CEPOL founding fathers, we were convinced that throughtraining, we would manage to evolve and change the culture of our police institutions andto integrate the European dimension into the daily action of our agents.

Director of the International Cooperation Department,Ministry of Interior, France

CEPOL: ten years after

Governing Board MemberGoverning Board Chair 2008Chair of External Relations Working Group 2005

29


30/74

A most active training network

Since, thousands of police officers of the EuropeanUnion Member States, associated and candidatecountries have learned how to know, to recognise,to respect and to trust each other in order to worktogether (in a domestication process beloved byAntoine de Saint-Exupry) for the very best benefitof the citizens they serve on a day-by-day basis.

They could do it through hundreds of trainingcourses and seminars, implemented under theaegis of CEPOL by the national police institutionsof the Member States. All the needs, as differentas they are, of our police officers were met withan approach of mutual support designed by theMember States institutions. As time goes by, withrotating presidencies of the European Union, eachcountry and each police academy has broughtstone by stone, brick by brick, their contribution tothis European construction we care so much about.

this first mission was fulfilled and the goals were

achieved.But beyond training, CEPOL is developing othersides of cooperation, and here I will quote onlysome of them. CEPOL is:

creating a common police approach with aEuropean dimension;

allowing police officers from at least 27countries to meet each other and start thetaming process I mentioned above;

reinforcing the bilateral relations of thenational institutions in charge of police training;

learning how to work beyond borders that are,most of the time, non-existent on the groundbut often remaining in peoples minds;

seeking new partnerships beyond EuropeanUnion borders;

generating a strong synergy with otherEuropean agencies from Europol to Frontexvia Eurojust.

Each one did it in its own manner, with itsstrengths and its weaknesses, its culture and itsown temperament. This great diversity is the realwealth of the European Police College.Whatever the administrative or bureaucraticevolution, that is the real force of the CEPOLnetwork. In particular, this is what allowed theprogressive integration of the candidate countriesand the EU enlargementthe wide range ofknowledge of the neighbouring countries.

CEPOLs other roles

Despite the obstacles to any internationalcooperation (from national sovereignty in suchbasic fields such as differences to our judiciaryor police systems via our 23 official languages),despite the fact that training, like internationalcooperation, will never constitute the first of thepriorities for a political or a police institution,

These nuggets are more golden than any we couldhave hoped to discover 10 years ago. Since then,the strength of the network and the involvementof the Member States has helped to reveal them.Through the great dedication of its actors in theSecretariat and the national institutions, CEPOLhas become the cornerstone of police training inEurope.

But let us be careful: this construction, like the

European Union one, remains fragile and requireseveryday attention.

CEPOL has vision and a strategy which will enableus to avoid the traps and to contribute to Europeanconstruction, dot by dot. Let us be the actors ofthe common implementation of this vision, of thisstrategy, in order to improve European safety andsecurity for the benefit of our fellow citizens and toenable peace around the world.

This great diversity is the real wealth of the European Police College

30


31/74

Eduardo Viegas Ferreira

My first impression of CEPOL was one of pure disbelief. How could a police college

without classrooms and a teaching staff contribute to police cooperation in Europe? Howcould a police college without a well-equipped campus attract any alumni?

The magic word, by that time, was network. A network of police schools engaged indelivering courses and seminars for senior police officers from all over Europe. But, again,my reaction was one of disbelief.

How could different national police schools deliver some sort of common European policetraining? How could schools with a clear and strong military background cooperate withcivilian schools? How could huge national schools cooperate with smaller regional, localor specialised schools? The diversity was so overwhelming that even the language of the

seminars and courses seemed a minor detail.My first experiences confirmed the disbeliefseminars and courses mostly with nationaland local teaching staff and national and local curricula. In most cases there was littleor very little about the European Union and police cooperation in Europe. Hardly anytime was dedicated to the Union architecture on justice and policing, the Union Treaties,directives or recommendations or the Union agencies.

As a matter of fact, trainers seemed more interested in selling their national policesystemsand participants seemed more interested in knowing more about certain Member

National Research & Science Correspondent 20072008SEPE Project Group Member 20052007Research & Science Working Group Member 20072010Exchange Programme National Coordinator 20082009

SEPE Subgroup Chair 20092010

A sceptics view

Especialista Superior, Escola de Polcia Judiciria, Portugal

31


32/74

States than about the complexities and mysteries

of the subsidiarity principle in policing andjustice in Europe, or just interested in travellingand getting to know exotic European cities andcountries. A travelling European agency, not aEuropean police training network, was one ofCEPOLs nicknames in the beginning.

My second experience of CEPOL was somewhattraumaticI got involved in an exchangeprogramme of police trainers and officers.In principle, this was an excellent idea, but,despite the professionalism of long-time CEPOL

collaborators like Elisabeth Zinschitz, mytask was just to perform as a sort of a touristicoperatortravelling and arranging sightseeing.

My third was not much better. I got involved inCEPOLs research and science activities, but inan administrative and networking capacity. As amatter of fact, there was no funding for a singleEuropean research and science project. The ideawas just to collect and disseminate informationabout ongoing or already finished national

research projects involving several Europeancountries.

However, it turned out that most projectswere just national ones, such as collectionand dissemination, and were done withprofessionalism under the direction of long-timeCEPOL collaborators like Jnos Fehrvry andDetlef Nogala. But something was missingnamely research projects on European policecooperation, funded by CEPOL itself, or thanksto CEPOL.

Im still a sceptic. But CEPOL was not entirelya waste of time and of European money.Interesting professional networks were createdand some still remain activethanks toseminars and courses. Knowledge about otherMember States police training systems is nowmore extensive and accurate than five yearsagoand Im proud to have contributed to

this through three European surveys. Thanks

to hundreds of training activities, to severalexchange programmes and to databases andpublications, knowledge about different policecultures and policing methods is now better thaneveralthough Im still not sure if such is in factcontributing to more trust and efficacy in policecooperation.

Common training curricula are being developedand made available to Member States andassociate countries. Courses and seminarsare more European-orientedand important

European issues concerning police cooperationare becoming the core of such courses andseminars.

Police training in Europeis certainly different today,thanks to CEPOL

Police training is still not European and it wontbe as long as the subsidiarity principle remainsactive in justice and policing. But police trainingin Europe is today certainly different thanksto CEPOLand in particular to the dozensof committed professionals I had the honourto meet during the last decade in the CEPOLnetwork.

I do not dare to mention all their names,simply because someone would surely beunjustly forgotten, but they were the oneswho transformed the network into somethingmeaningful. I only wish CEPOL could publishtheir names, and not just brief recollections likethe one Ive written here.

As any other organisation, CEPOL was madeby remarkable individuals who should beremembered and praised for their contributionto cooperation in police training in Europe.


33/74

CEPOL course and seminar topics 20022011


34/74

TRAINING

& LEARNING

AFFAIRS

34


35/74

David IAnson

Five years ago, almost to the day, I arrived at the Police Staff College at Bramshill in the sleepycountryside of Hampshire. A more idyllic holiday destination could hardly be imagined.I drove up the long drive dodging the geese that seem to have right of way on roads andfootpaths. For those who dont believe that, a sharp hiss soon puts you in your place. On thelong drive through the estate I passed an unusual building with the name CEPOLfixed to thewall.

CEPOL I had never heard of it, yet within a couple of days I found I was responsible forthe UK engagement with the agency through my role as an international policing advisor

with responsibility for Europe. What was a European agency? How can anything operatepurposefully as a network and a secretariat? A secretariat for what?

Two months later, I was responsible for the management of a research and science conferencewith delegates arriving from all over Europe. Research and science in policing: how doesthat work? Surely its to do with technology, equipment and testing of its impact on personscoming into contact with the police? More confusing was the importance of cross-Europeresearch. Apparently, this was part of the annual programme of events delivered by MemberStates in support of the European dimension and one of CEPOLs mandated areas.

International Training Consultant, International Department

Formerly National Police Improvement Agency, UK

The day the light came on

Training and Research Committee Chair 20102011

Member of Working Group on Learning

35


36/74

The event went well but at the time, did I

understand what it was all about? Not really.The light was certainly not turned on.I have been described as a functionaryonewho brings reality to the world of policingbut how does this European dimensionfitinto national policing? Build upon courses thathave a minimum number of participants andcountries represented to ensure this Europeandimension continues. But what does it mean? Isit a definition or an operational reality? How docountries work together (dont forget we haveblue borders all around the UK) if the ChannelTunnel isnt classed as a highway?

How can anything workpurposefully as a networkand a secretariat? Asecretariat for what?

Always pushing the boundaries with thingslike the common curricula and exchangeprogramme brings extra pressures to MemberState staff. Apparently at the time, the UKhad been leading as the chair of the commoncurricula on counter-terrorism, which for manyreasons transferred to me. How did we evervolunteer for this role? was my first thought,but you have to honour your responsibilities

and we ended up kick-starting the processagain. This was an unexpected opportunityto consult and work across Europe with like-minded individuals from Germany, Spain,Poland and the UK. I was still having troublefinding the light but during the commoncurricula activity I started to think there was aswitch somewhere and I was beginning to lookfor it.

You have to try the products to be able to

comment upon them. I attended the secondstep of the Civilian crisis managementcourse in Kosovo. I would describe it asexcellent, giving an insight into policing post-conflict countries and an immense amount ofknowledge that I have taken forward workingwith the United Nations and in countries likeLiberia. The course was delivered in Europeand provided the European dimension, but istransferable worldwide.

A workshop in Slovenia brought greaterawareness and understanding of the Bolognaprocess and its relationship across Europe. Itwas enlightening to see the disparity betweenMember States and how police education waseither strongly academic or, like the UK, almostentirely vocational.

The more you work withinthe network, the moreactive you become, andnaturally the more youunderstand what is reallyoccurring

I go to Bologna next week on holiday andwonder if they have heard of CEPOL? I

certainly hope so as the amount of effortundertaken, if not just in words, to measurethis Member States contribution to the processand what it means for police education inEurope has been significant.

I had found the switch by now and the lightwas beginning to glow but not enough powerwas flowing. A couple of research and science

36


37/74

conferences/workshops in Vienna and Mnster

brought a diverse mix of pro academia andoperational functionaries. Focusing on the useof research and science in police education gaveme the opportunity to listen to and questionreal experts from across Europe, not forgettingcolleagues who, like me, were just participantsin the audience. The networking continuesafter the events. How can you measure thisopportunity through normal educationalprocessesa key element of the CEPOL ethosand one not to be undervalued.

The course was deliveredin Europe and provided theEuropean Dimension butis transferable worldwide

Time passes so quickly and the world ofCEPOL continues to evolve. The more youwork within the network the more active youbecome and naturally the more you understandwhat is really occurring. All credit to thosecolleagues who are still in the network 10 yearson and who possess an immense amount ofknowledge. I will term them colleagues for theirprofessionalism and friendshipwhat networkcan deliver that amount of respect?

Throughout the last three years I have beenactive across many of the committees and theGoverning Board but particularly within theTraining and Research Committee as DeputyChair and then the honoured position of Chair.I believe this committee to be the most complexof all the committees, with such a varietyof activities. Common curricula, e-learning,research and science are just some of the fewthese have certainly broadened and deepenedmy technical and operational knowledge.

Membership of the Working Group on Learning

gave me a depth of professional knowledge andexposure to contemporary educational issuesthat has supported me with experience andterminology that lets you shine as an expertwell at least in your own mind. This exposurehas allowed me to provide police educationalguidance and ideas for reform in Albaniaand Armenia as well as trainer developmentand management in areas of the Middle East,Africa and China. Once again knowledge,opportunities and new skills delivered by

CEPOL in Europebut supporting the world.What can I suggest to others that follow meabout this level of commitment? Get involved.It is rewarding not just for the network but foryou personally and for your future potential.Lifelong learning is like garlic breadits thefuture!

It is fair to say the light was turned on andbright to see. It just took a little time to work it

all out.

Get involved. It is rewardingnot just for the network butfor you personally and foryour future potential

Being part of the selection panel undertakingthe recruitment of the head of programmes andhead of administration (I wonder what theirtitles are now?) allowed me to be involved withrecruitment and selection at a European agencylevel. I hope we made the right decisions, andthat they remain instrumental to the forwardvision and productivity of CEPOL. It certainlyseems to be going that way, and when thisis mixed with committed staff across the

37


38/74

Secretariat in all roles a team for the future has

been created.I am confident that this team will take CEPOLforward for the next five years. I just hope thatthe European Parliament, the Council and theCommission realise that CEPOL has made asignificant difference over the last 10 yearswhich is hard to accurately provide evidencefor and evaluateeven more so to measure. SoI would encourage them to leave the Secretariatand the network to prove themselves as a

competent body!Five years on and my time to leave the policeservice has come, with future opportunitieslooming on the horizon. A lot of water hasflowed under the bridge during that periodwhich has been an immensely rewardingexperience.

Without doubt CEPOL has provided me,through the network and its products, with

more knowledge and skills than I have givenback. CEPOL: thank you!

The light remains lit and long may it burnthe brighter the betterilluminating the wayforward for policing and mutual cooperationacross Europe!

An excellent 10 years of history and good luckfor the future.

38


39/74

Grete Ba-Flaaten

Crime has no borders and the police in Europe have long traditions of cooperation in

different areas.Cooperation in education also has a long history in Europe, and scholarships andexchange programmes have made it possible to study abroad. Even if each country haddifferent requirements for grades and credits, typical professions like medicine, law andteaching had many similarities.

But within police education the differences have been much bigger and the training andeducation of police students has varied enormously from country to country related toformal requirements for recruitment, salary, length and structure of study, formal level ofstudy, force or service, balance between theory and practice and more.

The necessity of focusing on mobility and harmonisation in higher education withinEurope resulted in the Bologna Treaty of 1999 and the following-up of new resolutionsevery second year now called the Bologna process and now also including vocationaleducational training (VET).

Internationalisation in education means the mobility of students and teachers, exchangeof knowledge and development of best practice. We cannot talk about quality in trainingwithout knowing other countries level of competence and standards, and without

National Contact Point, NorwayGoverning Board

How is CEPOL seenthrough the eyes ofMiss Bologna?

International CoordinatorNorwegian Police University College

39


40/74

the exchange of knowledge there will be no

increase in quality.Mobility, networking, research and jointcurriculum development are central issues ininternationalisation in education and research.Universities and colleges can find partnersworldwide in most educational fields, andoffers to meet on international market fairspop up weekly on your computer.

Internationalisation ineducation means mobilityof students and teachers,exchange of knowledgeand development of bestpractice

But police training and education has more orless been an outsider in the field of education.Why? Is it partly because the police arethe only authority that has the right to usephysical power, and has traditionally beenlinked closely to the military forces, and partlybecause the study requires citizenship? Thedifferences go far beyond this. It would havebeen interesting to analyse the grounds forthe structure and content of police education

in one country, since it seems to me that mostpolice authorities seem to believe strongly intheir existing national police education.

It must be due to more than a culturalphenomenon, since all the five Nordiccountrieswith a very similar history anddemocratic traditionshave major differencesin their police education.

Being responsible for internationalisation in

education at the Norwegian Police UniversityCollege in 2004, I immediately started to searchfor partners in police education. I found no oneon the traditional international market place forhigher education. Universities all over Europewanted our students in exchange programmes,but I had nothing to offer in return since ourpolice programme required citizenship and ourstudy programmes were quite different.The most important partner for cooperationwas obvious: CEPOL.

CEPOL is the most important arena for buildingnetworks within basic police educationnetworks that, in my opinion, have to adapt tothe Bologna processand CEPOL has alreadymade an interesting analysis of the Bolognaprocess and the challenges in it for policeeducation. In my opinion CEPOL must followtwo tracks in basic police education, one forthe higher level (accredited) and one for VET.

CEPOL must be willing to discuss and defi

neon which level their courses and commoncurricula are.

CEPOL has already madean interesting analysis ofthe Bologna process andthe challenges in police

educationSince I took part in CEPOLs activities as anational contact point in 2004 I have not beendisappointed. A mixture of police educatorsand representatives from different parts ofthe police administration gave me all thepossibilities I looked forand a flying startas an international coordinator. With my

40


41/74

background as a social scientist and nineyears as a head of police educators, I wasimmediately involved in CEPOLs aims andready to discuss the tools to attain them. TheGoverning Board meetings were a fantasticarena for understanding what was going on inpolice education in Europe, and I was heavilyengaged in the discussions there.

But launching the Bologna process into thediscussion of police training in 2005 was likewalking on ice, however, and for a couple of

years the Governing Board introduced me asMiss Bolognaa humorous way of bringingsome distance to an issue! But I regarded thetitle as a compliment. I was impressed by themembers dedication to the role of the police,and the ability to use humour as a tool whennecessary. And I was impressed at the speed ofthe organisational development and change ofCEPOL.

Quality results camefaster than in any otherorganisation I have comeacross

Today the Bologna process is integrated inmost discussions. From being a young andmore or less informal body CEPOL rapidlychanged. The courses increased in number andquality, and the committees likewise. Therewere an impressive number of people involvedin committees, working groups, courses andmeetingsand the quality results came fasterthan in any other organisation I have comeacross.

The meetings were structured, the e-netchanged several times, the homepage becameimpressive, and the e-net quickly became

a necessary tool for taking part in CEPOLsactivities. And the amount of high-qualityreports, standards and written proceduresproduced has been enormous. I am impressedby the Secretariat that has been able to handleall this, and I am afraid they have not beenpraised enough.

The level of noise in thecoffee breaks has been

a good indicator of theimportance of theseinformal gatherings

At the same time CEPOL went through theprocess of becoming an EU agency, and thedemanding process of organisational changeslowly shifted the focus from networking tobureaucracy. Business meetings or networking?

Both? I welcome the new incentives for makingthe organisation more efficient. And I hope theaim of the new structures is to give more timeto networking and educational discussions.The overall aim in CEPOL is still to increase thequality of police work in Europe.

An important side-effect of the GoverningBoards meetings and other activities is goingon outside the meeting rooms. The level ofnoise in the coffee breaks has been a good

indicator of the importance of these informalgatherings. Outside the meeting rooms Ihave had the possibility to meet my Nordiccolleagues and discuss our projects.

I have been able to get new partners for studentexchange. I have had the most interestingdiscussions with colleagues all over Europe.

41


42/74

And most importantly I have learnt a lot. Theinformal coffee breaks and the social eventshave perhaps been the most important arenafor networking. And they have saved me andmany others from using more resources onadditional meetings.

CEPOL is now 10 years old. It is a youngorganisation that has finished its childhood andis now going into adolescence. Adolescence isa wonderful time with all possibilities open.How ambitious should CEPOL be? In what

direction should CEPOL move? Are there otherways to decide levels of competence for policeeducation, other than the Bologna system?

42


43/74

Rossanna Farina

I had the opportunity to take part in the Survey on European police educationand Bologna (SEPEB), prepared by CEPOL in 2009, on the development of coursesconducted by police forces and accredited according to criteria set by the BolognaDeclaration or, at any rate, open to senior police officers from other European countries.

The research, coordinated by Eduardo Ferreira of Portugal, followed previous, similarCEPOL surveys such as the Survey on specialised police learning and training inEurope (2005) and the Survey on European police education (2006), and the proposalsmade in October 2008 by the Project Group for the Development of the basis forconsolidating, updating and publishing the survey on European police education(SEPE).

Why was CEPOL interested in this kind of survey?

First of all, look at the main objectives of the Bologna process. These are to create aEuropean higher education area through the harmonisation of academic qualifications,the adoption of a higher education system consisting of two main levels and the

Member of the CEPOL Working Group on LearningSEPEB Subgroup MemberNational Contact Point

My experience in theSEPEB project

Head of the CEPOL Italian Unit

Major, Polizia Nationale

43


44/74

strengthening of the credit system to ensuregreater student mobility and training qualityassessment.

Secondly, there is the possibility that two mainaims for the security of European citizenscould be improved by harmonisation ofthe legislation and by harmonisation of thetraining systems of the police forces in theMember States.

In the research, an overview of Bologna-accredited programmes is presented withregard to several aspects, such as the typeof degree, the delivering institution, theaccrediting agency, the way offinancing, theduration of a programme, the educationalformat, the number of European CreditTransfer System (ECTS) credits, the averagenumber of enrolled students, the entryrequirements, the accessibility (or not) for non-nationals and the language used.

All 27 EU Member States were involved inthe survey. It also included the Association ofEuropean Police Colleges (AEPC) and someagencies and networks such as Eurojust,Europol, ESDC, Interpol, Frontex, OLAF andTispol.

Police education in Europehas changed remarkably

during thefirst decade ofthe 21st century

The dissemination and collection of datawas very well done and at the end a fewconclusions could be underlined. Policeeducation in Europe has changed remarkablyduring the first decade of the 21st century.

Since the introduction and development ofthe Bologna agreements, the education ofpolice officers is of a higher level than before,especially for middle and senior ranks. Aconsiderable amount of police curricula havebeen subject to accreditation processes andpolice programmes have been harmonisedusing comparable degrees and similar credits(i.e. ECTS). For the first time, the opportunitiesto participate in another countrys policeprogramme have been mapped and detailsgiven. Information from 82 programmes and112 courses was received.

It must be noted that the programmes andcourses identified and described do notstand for all Bologna-accredited policeeducation programmes being delivered inEuropean countries, and certainly not for allprogrammes or courses that can be attendedby any police officer, regardless of her or hisnationality. The SEPEB report published on theCEPOL website speaks of being clear that

the results of this survey must be consideredas a non-representative overview.

This survey is an overall picture of the 2009situation, in that it refers only to the countriesthat were involved and, in some cases, only toa number of national police organisations thatresponded to the questionnaire.

In this regard, its true to say that when wesent back the first draft of the data obtained

from the questionnaires for validation, somepolice organisations that had not providedthe data back then asked for an update andsome countries even reported a change intheir national situation compared to the datapreviously provided. At this point, we haveto wonder to what extent such data can beregarded as reliable, considering that thissurvey refers to a constantly changing field.

44


45/74

The validity of this data is as short-lived as abutterfly, lasting a few months at most. How,then, can the worth of such a contribution bemeasured?

In the first instance, we can see data relating todifferent countries in one single document, sowe can compare and assess them with a viewto monitoring compliance with the principlesof the Bologna Declaration throughout Europe.

This also lets us know in how many ways theBologna principles andas far as vocationaltraining is concernedthe principlescontained in the Bruges-CopenhagenDeclaration can be applied specifically topolice training.

In order to improve the Bologna Declarationprinciples, it will list under CEPOL activitiesthe agencys new course on Policing inEuropelegal and operational aspects ofinternational police cooperation. It is a three-module course at an academic level whichgives 15 ECTS.

It is necessary tosystematically developEuropean trainingprogrammesA further, even final, confirmation of the

applicability of the Bologna process principlesin the area of training for police forces isprovided by the Stockholm programme(201014).

In order to promote a genuine Europeanculture on judicial matters and lawenforcement, the Stockholm programme

declares that it is crucial to enhance trainingon EU-related issues and make it easilyaccessible to all professionals involved inthe implementation of the area of freedom,security and justice. These include policeforces, judges, public prosecutors, judicialstaff, customs officers and border police.

It is also necessary to systematically developEuropean training programmes, throughexchange programmes, in the framework ofthe courses that have already been organisedat a national level. Moreover, the councilbelieves that all issues pertaining to EU andinternational cooperation should be part of thenational training curricula.

Last but not least, I will mention the EU policycycle document, whereby, in November 2010,COSI was entrusted with the task of drawingup multiannual plans, containing strategiesto counter serious and organised crime onthe basis of the Europol OCTA and SOCTAreports, and CEPOL with the task of preparingad hoc training packages on related topics.

The abovementioned documents seem toidentify a number of fundamental issueswhich might well be considered of interest byindividual police academies and by CEPOL, inits capacity as the European Police Academy.There is a need:

1. to develop training modules, within

the national curricula, on European andinternational police cooperation as well ason matters of European significance;

2. for training credits to be received for suchmodules in compliance with the BolognaDeclaration, with a view to facilitating theharmonisation of modules delivered bythe various police academies;

45


46/74

3. for the implementation of exchangeprogrammes for police officers as earlyas initial training, to ensure greaterparticipation;

4. for the recognition of CEPOL as the EUagency mandated to certify that thetraining delivered complies with the EUCommon Curricula;

5. to define the training package contentmentioned in the EU Policy Cycledocument, which, by the way, seems toimply that courses and seminars are only apart of the training initiatives it envisages;and

6. to prepare e-learning training programmes.

To conclude, it appears that the abovedocuments extend the definition of coursetarget to include, alongside police officers, allprofessionals involved in the implementation ofan area of freedom, security and justice, notablyjudges, public prosecutors, judicial staff,customs officers and border police. It appearsthat the above documents extend the definitionof course target also to include not onlyhigh senior police officers but police officersinvolved in the police cooperation field, inorder to improve the opportunities of trainingand working exchange programmes, and onthe possibility of establishing an equivalencesystem for the various training activities.

If it is true, CEPOL appears on the horizon fornew skills, and an even closer collaborationwith the other European Agencies.

46


47/74

Learning and sharingbest practices

Marek Link

Exactly 10 years ago, the Estonian Academy of Security Sciences started its reform ofcompetency-based police training. At that time, CEPOL commenced itsfirst activities.This is a perfect example of how learning and sharing best practices can improve thequality of service.

CEPOL is a unique network. It unites professionals and experts under the same umbrellaof police training excellence. I joined CEPOLs network in 2006 as a member of the

Working Group on Learning (WGL) and found myself in the middle of a very diverse butunited community. I still remember when I had to introduce myself and said that I wasrepresenting Estonia. I was immediately interrupted by the Chair, Marianne Hilton. Shesaid: You are here not to represent your country but your expertise. Although it felt likea bucket of cold water, the same sentence reset my mind to realise that we were here for amuch bigger cause than just the interests of our own organisation.

I had the chance to work with wonderful people like NevenkaTomovic (Slovenia), SandraWirkhuijs (Netherlands), Joao Cabaso (Portugal), Rosanna Farina (Italy), Belen Crego

Head of Centre for Innovative Applied Learning Technologies

Institute of Internal Security,Estonian Academy of Security Sciences

Chair of the Working Group on Learning 20102011

Member of Working Group on Learning 20072010

47


48/74

(Spain) and many others. In the period 200609,the working group had over 20 assignmentsyearly, including producing vision documentson learning and e-learning, Q13, peerreviews, the Bologna process review, differentevaluations and quality assessment reports.

In 2009, five other members joined the groupWalentynaTrzcinska (Poland), David IAnson(UK), Joseph Carton (Ireland), Piet de Brouwer(Belgium) and Zsolt Molnar (Hungary), who isthe current Vice Chair of the group. Right nowthe WGL is facing new challenges thanks to thefast development of ICT-supported learning.

To overcome them, it has a new focus in orderto be more proactive and innovative. We wantto achieve better, more flexible learning pathswith a continuous focus on quality of learning.The new concept of open educational recourseis opening new doors of network learning, andwe are continuing to do our best to achieve this.

I want to thank all the members who have puteffort in to the cause, and to thank you, TheoBrekelmans and Catherine Lamothe-Andre, forproviding us with more than just support forthe group.

We were here for a much bigger cause than just the interests of ourorganisation

48


49/74

Renato Raggi

There is only one real opportunity for European Union police forces to work together ona common mission, planning and conducting all aspects of operations, and that is on anon-military crisis management mission, outside the Union borders.

Since the adoption of the common foreign and security policy (CFSP), the EU haslaunched several missions in which police officers have played different roles to providesecurity in volatile areas of the world. In order to guarantee common and qualified

standards of performance, CEPOL got a legal mandate to develop and provide trainingto prepare police forces of the European Union for participation in non-military crisismanagement (Article 7 of Council Decision 205/681/JHA). This task has been fulfilledby CEPOL since the very beginning of its activities, training officers eligible to lead ormanage EU missions, or to work in European teams.

The first CEPOL course dealing with crisis management was set up in 2000. It was calledthe Police commander courseCivilian aspects of crisis management. At the time, itwas considered the flagship course of the college. It was aimed at top-ranking police

Italian Carabinieri CorpsHead of Research Office,

Centre of Excellence for Stability Police Units, Italy

CEPOLs contribution tothe European Union civiliancrisis management training

Member of CEPOL Research & ScienceWorking Group 2007

49


50/74

officers eligible to be appointed commandersor to occupy key staff positions in EU missions.By the end of the training, they had receivedup-to-date information and knowledgeabout planning and conducting operationsat operational and tactical levels, along withguidance on logistics and mission management.The course was based on official EuropeanUnion doctrine and best practices from differentscenarios where EU police had been deployed.It lasted three weeks and lectures werecarefully synchronised, in order to accompanyparticipants step by step through the complexworld of police peacekeeping.

At the end of the course, trainees had enoughinformation to draft an operations plan(OPLAN) which they used in a command postexercise, where they played different roles inteams of mission staff, almost in real time. Suchprocedures, common among the military, weretotally new for the majority of participants.Along with direct involvement and a practicalproblem-solving approach, they made this firstcourse a great one.

Such procedures, alongwith direct involvement anda practical problem-solvingapproach, made this first

course a great oneThe CEPOL Governing Board approved asecond type of training in 2003, the Strategicplanning course. If the police commandercourse was oriented at the operational/tacticallevel, this new course dealt with strategicissues. More precisely, its aim was the trainingof experts able to work within or in support

of those EU bodies in Brussels responsible forplanning crisis management operations, such asthe former police unit of DG9, today the CPCC.

For this purpose and with the same practicalapproach of previous courses, participantsused also to take part in planning exercises, asaugmentees to staff of those organisations. Thecourse was two weeks long and lecturers wereexperts coming from the same organisationsthat could have benefited from the course. Thetraining was focused on drafting a concept ofoperations (Conops), the outcome documentof the strategic planning phase. Ideally the twocourses covered almost all the topics of interestfor an EU mission commander or planner.

For organisational and budgetary reasons thetwo courses were merged in 2009. The newtraining is called the Senior police officerplanning and command course for crisismanagement operations/missions (Spopcop).Its curriculum includes all the contents of theprevious two, in this way presenting a higherlevel of coherence and encompassing all theobjectives and learning outcomes, but witha modern perspective. In 10 years the EUdoctrine has developed a lot towards a broadapproach to stability missions.

The target group has remained the same: seniorpolice officers, preferably already possessingspecific competences, eligible for deploymentto a civilian crisis management mission, or torelevant EU bodies dealing with the matter,with a high-level position in management,planning or command. The course is also opento EU police planning personnel and nationalsresponsible for the specific training.

At the end of the course participants shouldbe able to analyse, organise and implementa given mandate within a local context in

50


51/74

close cooperation with other actors andstakeholdersquite an ambitious mission.

In order to achieve it, the curriculum hasbeen tailored in five modules. Starting with ageneral presentation of the EU machine andstructure, particular attention is later givento coordination and cooperation between thedifferent actors on the scene. Another moduledeals with management of the mission andwith external and internal communication.Not much is included in the existing doctrineand, therefore, the accumulated experience offield practitioners is called in to help. Headsof mission are invited to present their practicalcompetences to solve those problems, small orlarge, which can arise at any moment. This cutis usually appreciated by participants who tryto match their daily experience with this newinternational environment.

Colleagues became part

of a special club of peoplewho have in common notonly the service to theEuropean Union, but thespirit of keeping peaceTo be successful in such a demanding field,operational skills are not enough. Planningat all levels is the core of a specific module.Acronyms such as Conops (concept ofoperations) or OPLAN (operations plan)become familiar at the end of long sessionswhere experts from planning offices in Brusselsdo their best to make participants acquaintedwith the outputs of strategic and operationalplanning phases. The training ends with acommand post exercise (CPX) where all the

new skills are tested, simulating staff memberssupporting the head of mission in making his orher decisions. Results are discussed in a plenarysession with experts. In this CPX participantshave the feeling of being able to manage theirnew knowledge.

The writer of this contribution has lecturedin these courses since the beginning. Theexperience of meeting so many colleagues fromall over Europe has been really motivating.Some of the participants have been deployedsuccessfully in crisis management missions, notonly under the EU flag. They have become partof a special club of people who have in commonnot only service to the European Union but alsothe spirit of keeping peace, from the Balkans toAfghanistan. I think this is the real value of thishigh-profile course.


52/74

CEPOL Annual European Police Research & Science Conferences


53/74

2003 Solna, Sweden Interplay between ResearchEducationPractice

2004 Prague, Czech Republic Development of Police Sciences and Transfer of Knowledge

into Police Education, Training and Practice

Interconnections: ScienceTraining Practice

2005 Lisbon, Portugal Scientific Research and Assessment of Police

Recruiting,Training, Learning and Evaluation Methodologies

and Techniques

2006 Bramshill, UK Policing Public Order

2007 Mnster, Germany A European Approach to Police Science

2008 Vienna, Austria Comparative Policing Research from a European Perspective:

with a Focus on Organised Crime

2009 Badhoevedorp, the Netherlands Future Policing in Europe: A Shared Agenda for Research

2010 Oslo, Norway Practical Research and Research PracticePolice Science

into a New Decade

2011 Madrid, Spain Cybercrime, Cybersecurity and Social Networks


54/74

RESEARCH

& SCIENCE

54


55/74

Jnos Fehrvry

Nurturing the evolution ofpolice science in Europethe contribution of CEPOLover a decade

Beyond their official surfaces and media image, police and policing are actually quitecomplex and diverse social realitiesoccasionally harbouring great contrarieties. On theone hand, police preserve and protect valid legal positions, values and moral principles.

On the other hand, the bodies of organised policing have to undergo permanent changes tobe efficient and effective, while respecting at the same time the needs of police practitioners

and different social groups as well as fundamental rights, national constitutional law andinternational treaties. They are a default part of any advanced society and have to findacceptance, trust and legitimacy.

In an area of tension marked by different priorities it is very difficult for police leaders tofind a good balance between routine programmes, established strategies and new plansof action. They are aware that reforms of police organisation and strategies or changesin conditions for policing are challenging and risky tasks, where many different aspects,factors and interests have to be respected and taken into account.

Head of The Unit for International Affairs in the AustrianSicherheitsakademie (Security Academy)

National Contact Point, AustriaGoverning Board Chair 2006Training and Research Committee ChairResearch & Science Working Group Chair 20072010

55

Documents

Anniversary Reflections