- European Union Police Mission for the Palestinian Territories
The European Union Police Mission for the Palestinian Territories (official title EU Police Co-ordinating Office for Palestinian Police Support, abbreviated to EUPOL COPPS) is a "three-year mission to reform and rebuild the police force in the
West Bank and Gaza",cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4481072.stm|title=Rebuilding the Palestinian police|author=Raffi Berg|publisher=BBC News|date=2005-11-30|accessdate=2008-02-13] which started on 1 January 2006, under theEuropean Union 'sEuropean Security and Defence Policy .cite news|url=http://www.europa-eu-un.org/articles/en/article_5290_en.htm|title=EU Council establishes Police Mission in Palestinian Territories|publisher=EU Council|date=2005-11-14|accessdate=2008-02-13] It is one of two civilian missions the EU runs in the Palestinian Territories, the other being theEuropean Union Border Assistance Mission Rafah (EU BAM Rafah).EUPOL COPPS has its headquarters in
Ramallah , and its objective is to support thePalestinian Authority in establishing sustainable and effective policing arrangements. [cite news|url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/907533.html|title=Israeli, Palestinian cops to resume cooperation|author=Barak Ravid|publisher="Haaretz"|date=2007-09-28|accessdate=2008-02-13] By attempting to improve Palestinian civil police and law enforcement capacity, EUPOL COPPS represents the efforts of the EU and the wider international community to support the Palestinian Authority in taking responsibility for law and order.Establishment
EUPOL COPPS was established following an
EU Council decision in November 2005, and builds on the work of the EU Co-ordination Office for Palestinian Police Support (EU COPPS), which was established in January 2005 within the office of the EU Special Representative for the Middle East Peace Process, AmbassadorMarc Otte . The initiative followed the expression by EU leaders in June 2004 of their readiness to support the Palestinian Authority in taking responsibility for law and order, and in particular, in improving its civil police and law enforcement capacity.cite news|url=http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cmsUpload/080107EUPOLCOPPS.pdf|title=Factsheet: European Union Police Mission for the Palestinian Territories (EUPOL COPPS)|publisher=EU Council Secretariat|date=2008-01|accessdate=2008-02-13]Organisational structure
EUPOL COPPS is composed of 32 unarmed members of staff, 27 of whom are European and 5 local. Most of the staff are secondees from EU member states. The current Head of Mission is Deputy Chief Constable Colin Smith, QPM, who succeeded the first Head of Mission, Assistant Chief Constable Jonathan McIvor, on 1 January 2007. The Head of Mission receives guidance from EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy,
Javier Solana , through the EU Special Representative for the Middle East Peace Process, Marc Otte.EUPOL COPPS is a civilian mission in the framework of the European Security and Defence Policy and the EU's Political and Security Committee exercises, under the responsibility of the EU Council, the political control and strategic direction of the Mission.
References
External links
* [http://www.consilium.europa.eu/cms3_fo/showPage.asp?id=974&mode=g&lang=en EUPOL COPPS] at the
Council of the European Union website
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