Newsroom
First minority police officers graduate from police training school
SKOPJE 19 December 2001
SKOPJE, 19 December 2001 - The first class of police officers recruited from the non-majority parts of the population has graduated from the Police Training School in Idrizovo, near Skopje, in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. This development was foreseen by the Ohrid Agreement of 13 August 2001, which sets out a peace process framework for the country.
The class comprised 106 ethnic Albanians and ethnic Bosnian; among them are 17 female graduates, all committed to "enforce the law in a humane and proper way without fear, corruption or evil intentions".
The training programme was set up as a joint operation of the Macedonian Government and the United States of America, but the OSCE Spillover Monitor Mission to Skopje will take over the US part of the programme in the new year. The Mission would then work together with the Macedonian Government toward achieving the desired goal of having 500 new police officers from communities not in the majority by July 2002.
To ensure the success of the joint programme, 100 officers from communities in the majority will be included in the multi-ethnic training. The Mission will assist in the screening and selection of these candidates. Further, it is the mission's goal to train additional 500 new officers by July 2003.
"Graduation day was a happy day for the men and women of the class, for their families and communities, and of course for the country", says the OSCE Mission Head, Ambassador Craig Jenness. "The new cadets will play an important role in ensuring stability and rule of law for all citizens, regardless of ethnicity, and the full sovereignty and territorial integrity of the state.
"This is yet another positive signal that the Framework Agreement can and will work. I also pay tribute to the United States government, the Macedonian government, and the OSCE trainers who also assisted in the training programme for making graduation day a success", says Ambassador Jenness.
He attended the graduation ceremony together with representatives of the US Embassy and with officials of the Macedonian Ministry of Interior. "We were pleased with the presence of the Minister of Interior and senior officials of the ministry at the graduation. We think that sent an important signal that these recruits are considered important for the police service and that they will be fully integrated", says Ambassador Jenness.
The class comprised 106 ethnic Albanians and ethnic Bosnian; among them are 17 female graduates, all committed to "enforce the law in a humane and proper way without fear, corruption or evil intentions".
The training programme was set up as a joint operation of the Macedonian Government and the United States of America, but the OSCE Spillover Monitor Mission to Skopje will take over the US part of the programme in the new year. The Mission would then work together with the Macedonian Government toward achieving the desired goal of having 500 new police officers from communities not in the majority by July 2002.
To ensure the success of the joint programme, 100 officers from communities in the majority will be included in the multi-ethnic training. The Mission will assist in the screening and selection of these candidates. Further, it is the mission's goal to train additional 500 new officers by July 2003.
"Graduation day was a happy day for the men and women of the class, for their families and communities, and of course for the country", says the OSCE Mission Head, Ambassador Craig Jenness. "The new cadets will play an important role in ensuring stability and rule of law for all citizens, regardless of ethnicity, and the full sovereignty and territorial integrity of the state.
"This is yet another positive signal that the Framework Agreement can and will work. I also pay tribute to the United States government, the Macedonian government, and the OSCE trainers who also assisted in the training programme for making graduation day a success", says Ambassador Jenness.
He attended the graduation ceremony together with representatives of the US Embassy and with officials of the Macedonian Ministry of Interior. "We were pleased with the presence of the Minister of Interior and senior officials of the ministry at the graduation. We think that sent an important signal that these recruits are considered important for the police service and that they will be fully integrated", says Ambassador Jenness.