The third and final part of the ISEC/CEPOL Exchange Programme ended in November 2010. The whole programme was implemented in three stages, starting in October 2009. During the programme, 147 senior police officers and police trainers from a total of 25 countries took part. The length of the exchange periods was usually between 12 – 14 calendar days for both police officers and trainers.
During the third exchange period, nearly all the exchangees had the role of both exchangee and tutor. During the first and second exchange periods, the feedback response rate was between 50-60% and overall, the feedback received was very positive. During the third exchange period, both exchangees and tutors were asked to provide their feedback via an online survey in order to increase responses and speed up the rate of feedback. The response rate was 90% (74 out of a possible 82). Follow-up feedback was mandatory during all exchange periods and was sent by email by the participants to their National Exchange Coordinators (NECs). From the NECs, it was forwarded to the Secretariat. For the third exchange period, there was an 85% response rate (70 responses in total). The feedback for the third and last exchange period was generally very positive and the higher rate of feedback did not influence the earlier results. The following are some results from the online survey for the third exchange period.
- 93% stated they succeeded in meeting the defined objectives to gain a better understanding of police standards and procedures in the host country
- 99% said they gained more understanding of the organisation of the law enforcement authorities and other bodies in the hosting country
- 93% strongly agreed or agreed that the objectives to exchange knowledge, experiences and best practices with their counterpart in the hosting country were fulfilled
- 65% stated they gained other knowledge from the exchange than the original objectives
- 83% stated they developed a professional network in the area of the relevant topics
- 92% agreed that the duration of the exchange period was sufficient to fulfill their objectives
- 94% were satisfied with the accommodation provided during the exchange
- 96% stated they were satisfied with the support and service received from the Secretariat
Where comments were encouraged, among them were: “Could not have been better”; “Perfect”; and “the hotel used was sufficient, but not more”. The use of the Learning Management System during the third exchange period was clearly a challenge for participants with 28% disagreeing that LMS is a very clear and user-friendly tool. Some work is needed in this area to prepare for the next Exchange Programme. From the follow-up feedback, it became apparent that potentially more than 100,000 police officers gained knowledge from the exchange programme through articles, lectures, meetings, and so on. It is possible to conclude from the positive feedback during all three exchange periods that not too many changes need to be made for the Exchange Programme.
