OSCE Office supports study tour to Germany for Azerbaijani police officers

BAKU, 21 February 2011 – Police officers from Azerbaijan began a week-long study visit to Germany today to learn about community policing methods as part of an OSCE Office in Baku project to improve interaction between the police and local communities.

The OSCE Office organized the study tour in co-operation with the Interior Ministry in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. During the visit, the officers will learn about crime prevention through community policing by studying practices in Magdeburg and Berlin. They will also share Azerbaijan's practices and experiences with police-public partnerships and crime prevention.

“This study visit provides an opportunity to learn about community policing practices in other OSCE participating States, and contributes to Azerbaijan's efforts to build the capacity of its law-enforcement agencies,” said Marco Kubny, Senior Police Adviser at the OSCE Office in Baku.

Community policing entails close and co-operative relations between police and the communities they serve.