defence reform. The changes that took place were conducted without a clear overall reformstrategy <strong>and</strong> without a proper legislative framework. Therefore, even though some changeswere visible, reforms <strong>in</strong> some important areas rema<strong>in</strong>ed cosmetic <strong>and</strong> conducted <strong>in</strong> a nonsystematicway, with no accepted vision for the future. This view is reflected <strong>in</strong> the EUprogress report for 2008, which clearly states that “Progress <strong>in</strong> the area of police <strong>and</strong> polic<strong>in</strong>ghas been limited”. 40Strategic plann<strong>in</strong>g was obviously a key priority. The first attempt to address the issue wasmade <strong>in</strong> 2001 with project-based assistance from the Danish Centre for Human Rights <strong>and</strong>the local NGO League for Experts, result<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> the Vision Document, which was notdeveloped any further, either because of bad tim<strong>in</strong>g or the lack of underst<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>g of itspotential 41 . A second attempt was made with<strong>in</strong> the framework of SEPCA a few years later,which was assisted by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). This project-basedattempt also failed, ma<strong>in</strong>ly because it was too ambitious for the RCMP m<strong>and</strong>ate <strong>and</strong> theallotted budget.In 2006, after cont<strong>in</strong>ual external pressure, the MoI made the decision to revisit this subject,creat<strong>in</strong>g the Bureau for Strategic Plann<strong>in</strong>g at m<strong>in</strong>isterial level. Although a new unit, with notmuch experience nor buy-<strong>in</strong> from others with<strong>in</strong> the organisation, it was an important step <strong>in</strong>the right direction, consider<strong>in</strong>g the importance of strategic th<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> development,especially at senior decision-mak<strong>in</strong>g levels.The sign<strong>in</strong>g of the EU’s SAA <strong>in</strong> April 2008 <strong>and</strong> the visa liberalisation dialogue also <strong>in</strong>fluencedrapid developments <strong>in</strong> other areas, such as the fight aga<strong>in</strong>st organised crime, which rema<strong>in</strong>sa crucial challenge for <strong>Serbia</strong> <strong>and</strong> the region as a whole. The adoption of several sectorstrategies, such as the Strategy on Combat<strong>in</strong>g Drugs Abuse, as well as the National Strategyto Combat Organised Crime, was completed <strong>in</strong> 2009. Furthermore, new legislation on theseizure of assets acquired through crim<strong>in</strong>al acts <strong>and</strong> on the crim<strong>in</strong>al liability of legal personswas adopted. The next obvious fundamental challenge is the implementation of these newlegislative <strong>and</strong> organisational provisions, so that organised crime can be tackled moreeffectively <strong>and</strong> efficiently.A similar conclusion can be made when it comes to improvements made <strong>in</strong> the area ofenhanc<strong>in</strong>g forensics capacities <strong>and</strong> crime scene management – areas ma<strong>in</strong>ly based ontechnical assistance. European st<strong>and</strong>ards were reached <strong>in</strong> this area thanks to significantdonor funds from Sweden <strong>and</strong> Norway. The <strong>Serbia</strong>n MoI established a state-of-the-art DNAlaboratory with EU f<strong>in</strong>ancial assistance, becom<strong>in</strong>g a regional leader <strong>in</strong> this field. Aga<strong>in</strong>,although the basic set-up has been reached, the question of cost-effective implementation,i.e. us<strong>in</strong>g these facilities for the purposes for which they were procured, rema<strong>in</strong>s.Consider<strong>in</strong>g the confrontational aspect of the majority of the above-mentioned processes,where the EU has de facto acted as the change agent <strong>and</strong> the domestic stakeholders (<strong>in</strong>this case several m<strong>in</strong>istries, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g the MoI) were simply largely rely<strong>in</strong>g on a ‘box tick<strong>in</strong>g’attitude with limited strategic <strong>in</strong>put <strong>and</strong> thought given to the process that would ensureimplementation <strong>and</strong> susta<strong>in</strong>ability, enhanc<strong>in</strong>g local ownership of the processes rema<strong>in</strong>sa challenge. 42There is no doubt that reform <strong>in</strong> this sector will rema<strong>in</strong> the ma<strong>in</strong> challenge for <strong>Serbia</strong><strong>in</strong> its efforts to become a credible EU c<strong>and</strong>idate country <strong>and</strong> that the political leadership40 http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/press_corner/key-documents/reports_nov_2008_en.htm41 The quality of the document itself could have been better <strong>in</strong> terms of methodology used <strong>and</strong>presentation. The 600-page paper was simply a collection of badly-connected reports, show<strong>in</strong>g someof the hallmarks identified later on <strong>in</strong> this section.42 The rapid adoption of complex strategic documents, even with external expert assistance, meansthat they rest on little real analysis <strong>and</strong> have limited ownership <strong>in</strong> depth, negatively impact<strong>in</strong>g theirquality <strong>and</strong> thus implementability.12
needs to take this area more seriously, mov<strong>in</strong>g from operational to strategic th<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g.Ultimately, the development of a strategic plann<strong>in</strong>g capacity as well as strengthen<strong>in</strong>gstrategic management, will become the benchmark for susta<strong>in</strong>able <strong>and</strong> cost-effective reform.Ultimately, the MoI will have to move ‘closer’ to other parts of the public adm<strong>in</strong>istrativesystem, both at central <strong>and</strong> local level, thus confirm<strong>in</strong>g its declared objective to move fromthe old police force to a new police service.Dur<strong>in</strong>g 2010 there have been signs that some key strategic areas are be<strong>in</strong>g addressed, suchas communication <strong>and</strong> human resources, as well as consideration given to a new Law onPolice. However, these very positive steps will have to wait a bit longer to receive justifiedevaluation. At another level, the MoI has made progress recently <strong>in</strong> address<strong>in</strong>g some areaswhere they feel competent <strong>and</strong> well advanced. An example is gender issues, where recentlyone can note the MoI tak<strong>in</strong>g the <strong>in</strong>itiative, with the assistance of the OSCE <strong>and</strong> UNDP, to setup the Women Police Officers Network, with<strong>in</strong> the Southeast European Police ChiefsAssociation (SEPCA).13
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