ICU mentoring - Updated

CEPOL International Cooperation UnitMentoring Programme

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1. Background

2. Objectives

3. Application Process

5. Hilights

4. How it Works

The Mentoring Programme kicked off in 2022 to strengthen the skills and expertise of LE officials from the Partner Countries of the EU.

The programme aims at establishing a cooperative partnership between law enforcement officilas from the EU and Partner Countries.

Mentees and mentors are nominated by their organisation and invited to apply, then CEPOL pairs the participants according to their interests.

In 2022, CEPOL received applications from 18 countries. 22 mentor-mentee pairs have started already their cooperation.

The programme can last from three months up to one year. Mentor and mentee meet regularly during the programme both on-site and online.

Background The International Cooperation Mentoring Programme kicked off in 2022 as a pilot programme aiming at strengthening the knowledge, skills and expertise of law enforcement officials from CEPOL’s partner countries. The mentoring Programme is implemented in the framework of 3 CEPOL-led International Cooperation Projects covering organised crime and terrorism:

• CT INFLOW: Enhancing information exchange and criminal justice responses related to terrorism in the EU South Neighbourhood countries;
• EUROMED Police: Enhancing institutional capacity in the EU South Neighbourhood countries to fight organised crime;
• TOPCOP: Strengthening strategic and operational cooperation in the Eastern Partnership countries to fight against organised crime.

OBJECTIVE This mentoring scheme gives the opportunity to law enforcement officials from the EU to share their expertise with law enforcement officials from the EU Neighbourhood working in the same domain. In the long run, the programme aspires to enhance cooperation between EU law enforcement organisations and their counterparts in Partner countries.

APPLICATION PROCESS 1. Invitation to nominate participants is sent to Partner countries; 2. Partner countries select the mentees on the basis of the required criteria; 3. CEPOL shortlists the mentees; 4. CEPOL launches a call inviting mentors from the EU Member states to match the specific crime areas requested by the Partner Countries; 5. Compatible mentees and mentors are paired and the programme kicks off.

HOW IT WORKS

• Once the mentor and mentee have been paired, they will agree on an Activity Plan. The plan will establish the duration of the mentoring programme, which can last for a minimum of 3 months and up to a maximum of one year.

• During the mentorship, the mentee and mentor are expected to visit and meet each other in person within the first three months of the established cooperation.

• Within the maximum period of 12 months, CEPOL will facilitate and cover the costs of the visits up to a maximum of one face-to-face meeting every 3 months.

• Mentors and mentees shall also meet online at least once a month during the life span of the programme.

• At the halfway mark of the agreed timeframe, participants are expected to prepare an Interim Report, which will be used as an instrument to assess if the mentorship is fulfilling its expectations.

• Upon completion of the programme, the participants are requested to provide feedback and to prepare a Narrative Report to evaluate the results of the mentoring programme.

HIGHLIGHTS

• EUROMED Police – 11 pairs are implementing their cooperation + 2 will start their cooperation in October 2023. Thematic areas: Criminal finances (4 pairs), Drug crimes (2 pairs), Fundamental rights and organised crime (1 pair), Illicit firearms (1 pair), Cybercrime (1 pair), THB (1 pair), Migrant smuggling (1 pair).
• TOPCOP – 2 pairs are implemented their cooperation + 3 pairs just started their cooperation in September.Thematic areas: Analysis (1 pair), Organised crime (1 pair), Illicit firearms (3 pairs).
• CTINFLOW – 1 pair finished their cooperation + 1 pair is working together + 2 pairs just started their cooperation in September