Mission MAG - European Union Police Mission in Bosnia and ...

Interview
Maria Cristina Stepanescu
EUPM hosted a Donors Conference on
29 November. It was the second of this
type organized this year. We met with
Maria Cristina Stepanescu, the Head of
the Programme Development and
Coordination Department, to get an
overview of the emerging needs of the
law enforcement agencies in BiH, and to
talk about donation issues and projects
in general.
What was the main aim
of this Donors Conference
We invited members of the diplomatic
missions in BIH, but also traditional EUPM
partners like the European Commission, the
International Organization for Migration
(IOM), the Office of the High Representative
(OHR) and the International Criminal
Investigative Training and Assistance
Program (ICITAP), which are all well
known for their contributions in support of
the Law Enforcement Agencies of BiH.
We wanted to thank them for their contributions
so far and to provide them with
first-hand information on the current and
future needs of police agencies throughout
the country.
Which Local Enforcement Agencies
are most in need of international
financial support
I would not say that one agency has more
needs than some others. I would rather say
that in a way or another all BiH Law
Enforcement Agencies still need international
community support. But our intention
is to advocate for those needs that fall
"All BiH Law Enforcement Age
still need international suppo
under police reform and EUPM’s mandate
in general. The two state-level institutions,
SIPA and SBS, which have jurisdiction
throughout BiH, are functional but they are
still in their infancy. They still need support.
Could you expand a
bit on SIPA’s and SBS’ needs
I would say that both agencies are in need
of specialized training: from informant handling,
i2 analyst notebook and surveillance
training for SIPA, to training in the field of
strategic planning and risk analysis for
SBS. Both agencies are also still in need of
different types of equipment: devices for
discovering forged documents, optical readers,
portable cameras, shooting equipment.
But for anyone who is interested I have the
complete list of their needs.
Which are the most generous
organizations when it comes to
offering support to LEAs in BiH
I want to stress that any small contribution
is worth a lot. Indeed there are big contributors,
such as the EC and ICITAP. They
have to be mentioned, but then again a lot
of countries contributed as well.
Let’s get back to your department.
Could you give us a short overview
of the main Projects you have
launched lately
From the beginning of 2006 the initiatives
regarding new Projects have to be
developed under BIH ownership. EUPM
police officers provide them with assistance
and act as observers, but the Local Police
Officers took the lead insofar as project
development is concerned. This year,
besides following up on the projects which
have not been implemented by the end of
2005, we have launched the Traffic Police
Project and were part of the team which
developed the Community Policing
Strategy for the whole of BiH. But I would
prefer to talk about this strategy in due
course.
How is your department organized
What are the major steps from the
selection of a Project towards
its implementation
The Department is currently covering 3
tasks. First, we monitor the implementation
process of all programmes/projects developed
under the first part of the EUPM mandate;
second, we inspect these projects in
order to ensure their sustainability, and
third, we deal with donor activities. The
department is a joint department: the tasks
are carried out by international police officers,
local police experts and local staff
alike. Since the EUPM mandate has
changed at the beginning of the year all
tasks regarding the development and the
implementation of projects are carried out
by the BiH police officers in the co-locations
and EUPM through JPDCD just
advises them when needed.
Which criteria do you use to select
the Projects you want to develop and
implement
From my point of view, at the beginning
of EUPM 1, we looked at whether the particular
segment of policing dealt with within
the framework of a specific programme
was worth being addressed or not. Of
course, in the beginning, there was pretty
much a need to address all the areas, from
the most general ones, like public order and
security, to more specific issues.
If you were to write a success story
about one specific programme you
have implemented since you joined
EUPM, which one would you pick
There are lots of success stories. I would
pick the Public Order and Security Projects
(former Programme 5), the Training
Projects (Programme 2), the Internal Affairs
Projects (Programme 3), the Trafficking in
Human Beings Project and SIPA, as an
Institutional Programme.
What are your department’s main
objectives in the future Are there any
aspects in its organization you would
like to see changed. In other terms,
are there any obstacles you would
like to see removed
The short-term strategy of the department
should focus on the three above-mentioned
tasks to let’s say close down part of the
projects which are fully implemented and to
try to find solutions for those which can not
be implemented at that moment due certain
obstacles. Most of the obstacles are of a
financial nature and can be overcome in
two ways: further support from the donor
community or better planning of the budget
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