The Land of Aristotle Hosts CEPOL European Police Education Systems Seminar

The CEPOL Unit of the Hellenic Police Academy organised CEPOL Seminar 73/2009 European Police Education Systems for the third consecutive time. The seminar presented a practical challenge due to the fact that of the differences existing in the various educational systems, approaches and views of the Member States, as well as the developments at the level of CEPOL and police cooperation among the Member States. Held in Thessaloniki, Greece, on 30 November until 2 December 2009, the seminar attracted 26 participants from 14 Member States.

Led by six experts, the main objectives of the seminar included:

• To promote the regular updating of the collected data on the situation of Police Training and Education in Europe;
• To encourage discussion on the further benefit of the collected data and the necessity of establishment of a module of common quality standards for European Police Education;
• To support the exchange of good learning and training practices in European police education and training, using also CEPOL’s Electronic Network (e-Net);
• To present the current level of implementation of the Common Curricula in the Member States;
• To promote mutual confidence and cooperation among the police institutions within the European Union.

Following the introduction about CEPOL, the first day included an enlightening tour through the Common Curricula and e-learning, as well as the presentation of two typical police education systems in Cyprus and Poland. The schedule of the first day was enriched with two workshops relevant to the topics presented.

The second day of the seminar was dedicated to learning and the quality level in training, while special attention was given to the current situation of the SEPEB project and the police relevant academic education. Two workshops were held in the afternoon.

The outcomes of the seminar were reported on the final day, including conclusions and recommendations.

Closing the seminar, the Director of the Hellenic Police Academy, Christos Kourvas, presented the certificates to the participants.

Steve Davies, a participant from the United Kingdom, sated: “The seminar was both informative and useful. It made the journey to the beautiful city worthwhile!”

Laurent Sambourg, a participant from France, highlighted the professionalism of the organisers stating: “A professional seminar doesn’t only exist, but it must live - and it did happen here.”

Harry Peeters, a representative of the CEPOL Research and Science Working Group, commented: “Compared with other CEPOL activities the opportunities for active or interactive participation are considerably greater. It audience was active and nobody hesitated to take the floor, although English wasn’t anyone’s native language. The content contribution from the various experts was instructive and encouraged discussions and exchange of views. It was a well-organised seminar with a pleasant variation of courses and leisure time.”

The seminar was organised by the CEPOL Unit of the Hellenic Police Academy and supported by Cyprus, Poland, CEPOL Secretariat and the CEPOL Research and Science Working Group.