The EU Mission for the Support of Palestinian Police and Rule of Law
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EUPOL COPPS facilitates workshop on citizen complaint-handling with PCP in Jericho

Ramallah, Nov. 04 2011- EUPOL COPPS facilitated a workshop with the Palestinian Civilian Police (PCP) this week in Jericho aimed at developing Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) vis-à-vis citizen complaint-handling with members of the Police Security and Discipline Department (PSDD) and the PCP Bureau for Grievances and Human Rights (BGHR).

 
Expert Paul BUSCHINI - Director of Investigations at the Irish Police Ombudsman Commission - led these workshops on SOPs, sharing best practice in policing on the investigation of citizen complaints from Ireland in particular, but also the United Kingdom.
 
The 3-day participatory workshop at the Jericho Police Training School gave special importance to the essential roles of the PSDD/BGHR as internal independent oversight bodies within the PCP, as well as the need for having more consistency and transparency in PCP procedures regarding citizen complaint-handling. Uniformity in police procedures plays a significant role in enhancing public confidence in police services, said Mr BUSCHINI in his opening remarks.
 
Other important SOPs were also discussed such as  SOPs on death in police custody/following police contact; frivolous/vexatious complaints; serial complaints; time limits for complaints; complaints of perjury; as well as a code of ethics.
 
The PCP will now contextualise and tailor these SOPs for their own police service together with their current practices. Such procedures, once formulated, will be an important step toward more accountable and transparent PCP procedures for the investigation and resolution of citizen's complaints.
 
Speaking at the closing of the workshop, Colonel Mahmoud AL-DEEK, head of the PSDD, thanked Mr BUSCHINI and EUPOL COPPS and indicated his support to follow-on SOP workshops, and to establishing enduring PCP SOPs in this field for the future.