OSCE's role in Kosovo

Two of the Westerners arrested on the border of Kosovo and Montenegro on Tuesday are UK policemen working for the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

Adrian Prangnell and John Yore are both members of a team of international police instructors working at a Police Service School established by the OSCE.

The School aims to create a "strong and credible" democratic police service - despite the fact that many of the new officers were formerly members of the paramilitary Kosovo Liberation Army.

It is just one of numerous initiatives pursued by the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, as a part of the overall operation led by the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK).

Largest mission

The OSCE's Kosovo mission was established in July 1999 with a view to taking "the lead role in matters relating to institution- and democracy-building and human rights" in the war-ravaged province.

Its projects range across:

• Democratisation and governance
• Election organisation and supervision
• Media Affairs
• Human Rights Monitoring

The Mission currently employs 500 international staff and 1,000 local staff, making it the largest OSCE field mission anywhere.

The Police School, in the town of Vucitrn, opened in September with 200 international police instructors from 20 countries, and has so far trained 1,383 cadets.

The OSCE wants to create a "community-oriented" police service which will restore trust and confidence in law enforcement among the citizens of Kosovo.

Minorities

"Tremendous efforts have been made to ensure fair representation of all minority groups," says a report issued by the Mission to mark the first year of its activities.

Sergeant Prangnell, 41, a detective with the Hampshire Constabulary and Constable Yore, 31, a traffic officer with the Cambridge Constabulary, are attached to the Police School Liaison Unit, based in Pristina, which exists primarily to recruit members of minority communities.

In the first six classes, 6% of cadets were Kosovo Serbs, 5.5% were from other non-Albanian communities, and 17% were women.

Classes at the School include:

• crime investigation
• defence tactics
• loyalty to the democratic legal order
• police patrol
• use of firearms
• conflict intervention and handling of refugees
• forensics

The OSCE also trains judges and civil administrators, and supports the development of non-governmental organisations.

Sergeant Prangnell and Constable Yore's assignments have one month more to run.

They went on a short holiday in Montenegro without receiving OSCE permission - a violation of the Kosovo Mission's rules.