Police Reform: Erdut Agreement

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Police Reform: Erdut Agreement

Implementations

Police Reform – 1995

Article 5 of the Erdut Basic Agreement calls for UNTAES to establish and train a new temporary police force, and build professionalism in the existing police force. Implementation process did not start in 1995.

Police Reform – 1996

UNTAES reports that as of August 5 1996, 442 out of 600 civilian police monitors have been deployed in the mission area. The primary task of those deployed is to monitor the Transitional Police Force (established on 1 July 1996), which is expected to reach a strength of 1,300 troops. Joint police units of local Serb and Croat police officers were established at 11 police stations in the Region and help patrol the demilitarized zone along with UN police monitors.1

In October of 1996, the effectiveness of the Transitional Police Force was 1,337 troops, 131 of which were Croats.2

  1. “Report of the Secretary-General on UNTAES,” United Nations (S/1996/622).
  2. “Report of the Secretary-General on UNTAES,” United Nations (S/1996/821).

Police Reform – 1997

UNTAES reports in February of 1997 that it will recruit 700 Croats and will have a balanced Serb/Croat force of 1,500 by the end of March. They also indicate that the “performance of the Transitional Police Force in dealing with crime has continued to improve”.1 Among their duties, the civilian police units formed by UNTAES provide on-site training to the police force on conducting criminal investigations.2 UNTAES reports that it is in the planning stages of deploying civilian police monitors for a period of 9 months in the Danube region to start in January of 1998.3

  1. Report of the Secretary-General on UNTAES, 24 February 1997, S/1997/148.
  2. Source: Report of the Secretary-General on UNTAES, 23 June 1997, S/1997/487.
  3. UNTAES, Brief Chronology.

Police Reform – 1998

On 16 January 1998, United Nations Civilian Police Support Group took over the policing task from the Transitional Administration. The 180 police monitors are deployed in the Danube region.1

UNTAES indicates that the Transitional Police Force will continue to operate in 1998 with 815 Croat officers, 811 Serb officers and 52 officers from other ethnic groups.2

In October of 1998, it is reported that the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) will take over policing efforts after the UN mandate is concluded with the deployment of 118 police monitors.3 On 15 December, UNTAES transferred the responsibility of operating the Transitional Police Force to the Ministry of Interior.4

  1. “Brief Chronology,” UNTAES.
  2. “Report of the Secretary-General on UNTAES,”United Nations (S/1998/59), January 22, 1998.
  3. Ibid.
  4. Ibid.

Police Reform – 1999

The OSCE continued its police training and observation mission in Croatia.1

  1. “OSCE Mission to Croatia,” OSCE, accessed February 5, 2012, http://www.osce.org/node/45520.

Police Reform – 2000

The International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP) initiates a police reform-training program in Croatia in 2000. The OCSE reduces its personnel to 225 from the high mark of 280 reached sometime between 1998 and 2000.1

  1. Ibid.

Police Reform – 2001

Training program continues but the OSCE reduces the number of its personnel to 90 observers.1

  1. Ibid.

Police Reform – 2002

The police training program continues in 2002.

Police Reform – 2003

The police training program continues in 2003.

Police Reform – 2004

The police training program continues in 2004.

Police Reform – 2005

The OSCE reduces its personnel to 51 by July 2005 but the training continues.1

  1. Ibid.