Uniformed Police Directorate

Security Planning and Peacekeeping Missions Section

International missions

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• Slovenian Police in International Civilian Missions 1997 - 2007 (Brochure)

Participation of the Slovenian Police in peacekeeping and other international missions

The Slovenian Police have been participating in peacekeeping operations and other international missions since October 1997 when, upon the initiative of the National Assembly and following the Decision of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia, the first Slovenian police officer was seconded to the MAPE mission in Albania.

To date, Slovenian police officers have been deployed to 15 (fifteen) missions. Currently, a total of 22 police officers are present in 5 (five) missions:

*Police expert in the General Secretariat of the EU Council¹

Article 19 of the Police Act presents the legal basis for the participation of the Slovenian Police in peacekeeping and other international missions. The basis for each secondment in concrete operations is always a Decision of the Government.

Selection, training, mission-specific training, secondment of officers to perform police and other non-military tasks abroad, their post-mission duties and rights, as well as return to their own forces are set forth in regulations issued by the Ministry of the Interior

Salaries of police officers in peacekeeping and other international missions are governed by a Government regulation from 1997. A new Government regulation was adopted in 2003 and will become effective together with the Act on Salaries of Civil Servants' Working Abroad.

Legal bases important for work in missions are:

• UN Security Council Resolutions, decisions of the European Council and OSCE Secretariat on the launching of individual missions;
• MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) and other agreements on cooperation between the Republic of Slovenia and any other international organisation or institution in charge of leading a mission;
• RoU (Rules of Engagement);
• SOP (Standard Operating Procedures) and mission directives;
• Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations, etc.

Slovenian Police participation in missions to date:

1. MAPE (Multinational Advisory Police Element) - Western European Union (WEU) mission in Albania (1997 - 2001)
2. UNMISET / UNTAET (United Nations Mission of Support in East Timor) - UN Mission of Support in East Timor (2000 - 2003)
3. OSCE KPSS (Kosovo Police Service School) - OSCE mission in Kosovo (2000 - 2004)
4. UNMIK CIVPOL (United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo - Civilian Police) - UN mission in Kosovo (2000 - 2006)
5. OSCE SMMS (Spillover Monitor Mission to Skopje) - OSCE mission in Macedonia (2001 - 2005)
6. EUPM (European Union Police Mission) in Bosnia and Herzegovina - EU mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (2002 - 2006)
7. OHR (Office of the High Representative) in Bosnia and Herzegovina - UN mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (2003 - 2004)
8. IPTM (International Police Training Mission) in Afghanistan - American Programme of Assistance to the Afghani police (2003 - 2004)
9. PROXIMA (Police Missions in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) - EU mission in Macedonia (2003 - 2007)
10. JIPTC (Jordan International Police Training Centre) - assistance programme to Iraqi Police by the Coalition Interim Administration program (2004 - 2006)
11. OSCE Serbia (OSCE Mission to Serbia) (2006)
12. EULEX, Kosovo (The European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo) - Mission EU in Kosovu (2008)
13. EUMM Georgia (European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia) (2009)

MAPE - Multinational Advisory Police Element

UNMISET / UNTAET - United Nations Mission of Support in East Timor

OSCE KPSS - Kosovo Police Service School

UNMIK CIVPOL - United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo - Civilian Police

OSCE SMMS - OSCE Spillover Monitor Mission to Skopje

OHR - Office of the High Representative

IPTM - International Police Training Mission in Afghanistan

EUPM (European Union Police Mission in Bosnia and Hercegovina)

PROXIMA - Police Mission in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

JIPTC - Jordan International Police Training Centre

OSCE Mission to Serbia

EULEX Kosovo

European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM)

General overview of Slovenian Police cooperation in peacekeeping missions to date

One OSCE mission mandate lasts 6 months and can be extended by a further six month period. UNMISET (UNTAET), UNMIK, OHR, EUPM, PROXIMA, IPTM and JIPTC mandates last 12 months. As a rule, Slovenian police officers' tour of duty had been 18 months until October 2003 whereas from then it was reduced to 12 months.

Duties and powers of civilian police officers serving in a peacekeeping or other international mission differ greatly from those performed by military and other staff on mission. Police officers live in their working environment and most often perform their tasks individually. They do not enjoy special protection and often have to rely on themselves in terms of logistics. They are required to have a good command of the English language as every task is closely connected to writing crime reports, general reports, information sheets, study materials, etc. They work with interpreters and need to have good negotiation skills.

Slovenia has sent a substantial number of police officers to serve in missions and can be compared to police forces sent by other larger and equally developed European countries. Slovenian Police officers are professional, diligent and accountable staff and are held in high esteem abroad.

The Slovenian Police has a pool of reserve officers that have received mission-specific training and stand ready to substitute for those officers concluding their missions in 2004 and 2005.

Plans

A new strategy on Slovenian Police presence in peacekeeping and other international missions is being prepared. The current strategy envisages up to 30 police officers engaged in missions on a yearly basis. The projected budget for 2004-2005 has set aside sufficient funds for such police participation.

In response to Slovenia's announcement to contribute 30 officers to the joint police force of the European Union, the Slovenian Police has continuously invested efforts to create a special police unit for this purpose. The project of setting up a Police Unit for Peace Support Operations (PEOPM) has been designed and includes new job-classification for the Slovenian Police Force and a financial plan to support the unit. This will be a 57 member unit comprised of a body of 7 permanent officers, a body of 20 temporarily engaged officers who are already serving in current peacekeeping and other international missions, and a body of 30 officers which will be a standby arrangement for emergency interventions in new crisis areas.

Expenditures - Slovenian Police cooperation in peacekeeping operations and other international missions

Participation in peacekeeping operations and other international missions presents an additional financial burden that the Police took on following the Government's resolutions after 1997. To date the financial expenses have fully been met by the Police and were charged to the regular budget. Slovenian officers serve as seconded officers meaning that the contributing country is in charge of providing salaries, allowances, refund of costs, additional accident and health insurance, etc.

The costs of the Slovenian Police's cooperation in peacekeeping and other international missions (no. of police officers / year) differ from mission to mission. The amount depends on:

• the mission mandate (participation in a police executive mission means that officers will use police powers, carry weapons and use police equipment whereas a civilian mission will not require use of police powers and uniforms etc.),
• the officer's function and status;
• the mission's location, area, security situation, etc.
• in line with the UN and OSCE rules all peacekeeping/mission staff (the military, police, civilian employees, local staff) receive a board and lodging allowance (BLA). Recipients of BLA are not entitled to some of the other refunds such as lodging allowance, transport allowance, use of one's personally owned vehicle allowance, daily food allowance and/or daily foreign exchange allowance.