OSCE Mission to Skopje helps develop community policing

SKOPJE, 21 March 2007 - Ten scooters worth more than 30,000 euros were handed over by the OSCE Mission to the Interior Ministry in Skopje today. They will be used to boost the efficiency of the OSCE-supported community-policing programme.

"This is one of many projects aimed at strengthening the technical capacity of the police. The scooters will make police more mobile and visible, especially in the area around the Ohrid lake or in cities like Tetovo with intensive traffic," said Ambassador Giorgio Radicati, Head of the OSCE Mission to Skopje.

In addition to the scooters, the donation includes three road safety trailers and equipment to teach road safety to school children. This is in addition to an earlier donation by the OSCE Mission and the U.S. Department of State of equipment used in a public information campaign called "Road Safety for All", conducted in 2005-2006 by the Interior Ministry.

Gordana Jankulovska, the Minister of Interior, added: "We are pleased with the attention of the OSCE Mission to our needs. This donation will contribute to the efficiency of community policing. Officers will be more visible and closer to the public. It will also help to increase safety on the roads."

All riders of the scooters will be trained in community policing skills.