TRAINING AND ASSISTANCE PROVIDED BY ISRAELI CRIMINAL JUSTICE AGENCIES TO MEMBER STATES

TRAINING AND ASSISTANCE PROVIDED BY ISRAELI CRIMINAL JUSTICE AGENCIES TO MEMBER STATES, 1991-94

Ruth Geva,
Director,
Information Services and International Relations Divn,
Ministry of Police

Over the years, Israeli governments have provided technical assistance and training to other Member States in many aspects of criminal justice. In the the last two years, during which many countries have resumed diplomatic relations with Israel, the volume of this assistance has expanded greatly.

The assistance is given in a variety of ways:

* Sending Israeli professionals to the requesting country to conduct a needs assessment survey;
* Holding training courses in the required subject, either in the requesting country, using local equipment and facilities, or in Israel, or a combination of both;
* Inviting foreign professionals to participate in conferences or training seminars conducted by Israeli experts;
* Conducting collaborative research studies.

Israel has signed in recent years numerous bilateral and multilateral agreements in the spheres of crime prevention and criminal justice, which provide the basis for ongoing cooperation between Member States and the framework for mutual exchanges. We give here a detailed listing of the topics that have been the subject of inter- state training by Israeli experts:

Africa

Liberia
* Document examination

Asia

Singapore
* Bomb disposal (1995)

Australasia

Australia
* Hostage negotiation methods.

New Zealand
* Support to spouse and children of inmates. (Training given to Family Help Trust.)

Seychelles
* Survey made by INP of the organization and functioning of the Seychelles police force.

Eastern Europe

Czech Republic
* Special weapons and tactics, with the emphasis on anti-terror operations.

Hungary
A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed in the sphere of law enforcement and crime prevention, making provision, inter alia, for training in:
* Anti-terror operations;
* Needs assessment survey for command and control and communications systems; (1992)
* Needs assessment survey and installation of system for computerization of police operations; (1992-94)
* Police leadership training and restructuring of the training in other subjects given by the Hungarian Police Academy;
* Securing high-risk buildings and installations.

Poland
* Special weapons and tactics, with the emphasis on anti-terror operations.

Confederation States

Russian Federation
* Forensic science methods (1994);
* Drug-abuse prevention (1994)

Ukraine
An Agreement has been signed covering training in the prevention of drug abuse, terrorism and serious crime. So far, under these auspices, the following training has been provided:
* Bomb disposal and scene-of-crime investigation techniques; (1995)
* Explosives residue analysis. (1995)

Europe

Austria
* Cooperation between anti-terror units.

France
* The Israel Anti-Drugs Authority organized an international conference in partnership with their French counterparts.

Germany
* Cooperation between anti-terror units.
* Youth Protection Authority professionals dealing with the treatment of juvenile delinquents in institutions for youth in distress conduct

annual exchange programs with their colleagues in Germany.

Italy
A Memorandum of Understanding and Working Agreement (1994) has been signed between the Israel Ministry of Police and the Italian Ministry of the Interior on the prevention of drug-abuse, terrorism and serious crime. Under these auspices, regular exchanges take place in the following spheres:
* Cooperation between anti-terror units;
* Forensic science methods;
* Methods to prevent drug trafficking.

Spain
* Security of high-risk buildings and installations;
* Prison security - procedures and equipment.

United Kingdom
* Two-way annual exchange with the Metropolitan Police of experts in forensic science and research and development. Partly funded by the British Council.

Turkey
An Agreement has been signed covering cooperation in the prevention of drug abuse and terrorism.
* Training is planned (1995) in the areas of bomb-disposal and other law- enforcement fields.

Cyprus
An Agreement has been signed covering training in the prevention of drug abuse, terrorism and serious crime. So far, under these auspices, training has been provided in:
* Forensic identification techniques and scene-of-crime examination.

Greece
* An Agreement has been signed covering training in the prevention of drug abuse, terrorism and serious crime.

North America

USA

California:

* Cooperation with LAPD SWAT teams. * Under the Los Angeles Probation Office professionals annual exchange program, each year four officers from L.A. take a training program in Israel and exchange information on intervention methods with Israeli officers.

Florida:
* Cooperation with Miami SWAT team.

Washington D.C.:
* Cooperation with Washington SWAT team

Georgia:
* Collaborative training in community policing.

New Jersey:
* Israeli Anti-Terror Unit trained the NJ SWAT team;
* Police Officer training methods.

Various USA Organizations
* Bomb disposal equipment, bomb handling methods, explosives detection;
* Forensic research.
* Rehabilitation of inmates: exchange on strategies and treatment methods.

Canada
* Cooperation with Toronto SWAT team;
* Training RCMP personnel in forensic explosives identification techniques.

South America

Brazil
* Hostage negotiation methods;
* Forensic identification methods and field-testing at the scene-of-crime.

Chile
* Agreement signed on anti drug-abuse measures.

Costa Rica
* Survey made by the INP of the organizational structure and operational methods of the local police force. Recommendations for change submitted.

El Salvador
* Training by Israel Police Officers at the El-Salvador National Academy on investigative and interrogation techniques. (1994)