On 27 June 2014, the Government of Republic of Moldova signed the Association Agreement (AA) with the EU. One of the key priorities highlighted by the AA is to reform the national police to ensure the respect of the rule of law and human rights protection. In 2015, Moldovan authorities coordinated the process of drafting a National Strategy on Police Reform 2016-2020 to meet this requirement. The draft of the Strategy aims at continuing the long-term reforms started in 2010 and at developing specific objectives in line with the Action Plan on the AA implementation. Is provides as general objectives the development of a modern police service in line with best EU standards and practices able to proactively respond in an equal manner to the needs of citizens and society and the institutionalization of the human rights based approach as an integral part of policing. In January 2016, a new Government was appointed and police reform remains one of the major priorities in the new Programme of Activity 2016-2019.
In June 2015, the Embassy of Sweden in Chisinau (the Embassy) invited the Swedish Police Authority (hereinafter SPA) to conduct a first contact mission to Moldova to identify areas of potential cooperation to support police reform in Moldova in line with AA provisions. The conclusion of the first contact mission was that there is a need for a visible Police Service working closer to the citizens it serves. Actions to increase the public trust in the Police and the professional contact with citizens are a necessity and any future programme should contribute to this aim. During the contact mission, the Ministry of Interior of Moldova (hereinafter MIA) and the General Police Inspectorate (hereinafter GPI) in particular highlighted that a comprehensive cooperation in the community policing field with SPA will be highly appreciated and will help Moldovan authorities to comply with the European standards in this field.
The Embassy decided to initiate a comprehensive assessment on the community policing area in Moldova and to engage SPA to conduct preparatory activities for a possible future project. The assignment consists of two parts: (1) a feasibility study and (2) a process of designing a possible programme based on the LFA methodology. The MIA and the GPI participation will be ensured during the programme preparation and designing phase. A Programme Design Working Group will be set up to guarantee the national authorities’ ownership for the programme.
During the first phase, a broader analysis will be elaborated to assess if there are preconditions for developing a cooperation programme between the SPA and the GPI on police reform encompassing one or more of the following pillars:
- Community Policing (CP), implementation of CP covering all Moldova
- High level management training in planning and monitoring the CP reform
- Basic and advanced police training in CP, including development of a training methodology and curricula for CP
- Police conflict management, human rights based approach
- Economic crimes prevention and investigation by GPI
- Gender and anti-corruption should be considered as crosscutting issues.
The second part of the assignment will aim at designing a potential programme based on the findings and conclusions formulated during the first phase. Based on the outcomes of the feasibility study, the main priorities for the cooperation will be identified and a complete programme document (including a budget document) will be produced.