OSCE Mission to Montenegro supports South-East Europe Police Chiefs Association Conference
On 23 September 2021, the South-East Europe Police Chiefs Association (SEPCA), chaired by Montenegro, opened a two day conference in Budva hosted by the Ministry of Interior’s Police Directorate with the support of the OSCE Mission in Montenegro.
The conference will focus on examining two aspects of cybercrime: countering online radicalization leading to violent extremism and countering online sexual exploitation of children.
Opening the conference, Siv-Katrine Leirtroe, Acting Head of the OSCE Mission, said that, along with the positive advantages that new technologies have provided, society faces a growing threat from illegal uses in the form of cybercrime. “We hope that this conference will not only reinforce the national response to cybercrime, but also support a regional response through sharing of data and building relationships among SEPCA member states,” said Leirtroe.
Zoran Brđanin, Montenegrin Police director, said that though the internet has extended our knowledge and access to information, it has also allowed criminals to move from the physical to the online world. “The purpose of our daily work is to build peace and security at national, regional, and international levels. Being united in our goals, we can achieve concrete results. During these two days, we have the opportunity to strengthen our partnership in protecting the most vulnerable groups, especially our children, whose security is the most sacred aim of all of us,” said Brđanin.
The OSCE Transnational Threats Department (TNTD), EUROPOL, the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children and the NGO “Parents” from Montenegro will make presentations and lead the discussions. Participants include representatives from Albania, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Moldova, North Macedonia, Romania, Slovenia and Serbia and will exchange experiences and identify good practices in countering online radicalization leading to violent extremism and online sexual exploitation of children.
The Mission and the OSCE/TNTD will remain reliable partners of the host country’s Police Directorate and continue to provide available expertise in countering online radicalization leading to violent extremism and countering sexual exploitation of children via the internet.