Opening the course, Interior Ministry State Secretary Ivica Buconjic said the ministry, in cooperation with the UN and the British Embassy Croatia, decided to organise the training in the wake of positive experiences in international missions and a wish to better prepare future participants in them.
Sixteen Croatian police officers are participating in five UN and NATO peace missions, including the ISAF mission in Afghanistan and the international training centre in Jordan.
Buconjic said the UN Secretariat recognised how good and well-trained the Croatian police were by appointing Croatia to the UN Peacebuilding Commission.
British Ambassador John Ramsden thanked the Croatian authorities for the initiative to organise the training and said he was pleased the Croatian police played an ever bigger role in the international community. He underlined the importance of the UN police in maintaining peace and stability in crisis regions.
The training course is financed by the Croatian Interior Ministry and the British Embassy, which represents another proof of the successful cooperation of Croatian and British police forces, it was said.