5. POLICE

The Expert Group has found that it is of utmost importance that the awareness of the issue of commercial sexual exploitation of children is raised among the police. Today, there is in some Member States a lack of trained staff and lack of evidence and reliable data. Crimes against children must be given as high priority as any other severe crime. It is consequently important that the issue of commercial sexual exploitation of children is included in the curricula of the police academies. It is also important to strengthen the interaction with families of the victims and the victims themselves as well as the co-operation with medical services to prevent the risk of evidence being destroyed during investigations.

A close co-operation with psycho-social prevention and rehabilitation services should be given priority in the police work. Methods for co-operation between the police and the social services should be developed and consultation groups set up.
A closer co-operation with the tourist industry is a way of keeping the developing sex tourism in check. The local tourist guides need a special police officer to whom they can turn to in case of suspicion of commercial sexual exploitation of children.

The Expert Group has found that it is important that the Member States exchange, drawing on the already existing co-operation in the field , law enforcement intelligence relating to known and suspected serious criminals who are operating in another Member State or may be likely to do so.

5.1 Curricula of the police academies
The Member States have provided the Expert Group with information about the existence of education on commercial sexual exploitation of children in the curricula of their police academies.
CountryYesNo
Denmark x Estonia x
Finland x
Germany x
Icelandx Latviax Lithuania x
Norwayx Poland x
Russiax Sweden x

Denmark

There is a special post-graduate course on how to handle vulnerable children for police officers at the Criminal Investigation Department who investigate sexual exploitation of children.

Estonia

The question of commercial sexual exploitation of children will be included in the curricula of the Police Academy the next academic year (1998/1999).

Finland

Sexual exploitation of children is discussed in the Police Academy in connection with courses on criminal investigation and penal legislation. As commercial sexual exploitation of children is not a major problem in Finland, no special courses about it are so far included in the curricula. Special attention has lately been paid to methods of hearing children in pre-trial investigation.

Germany

The complexity of the problems regarding sexual exploitation of children is a fundamental part of the police education. A specialisation regarding the special features of commercial sexual exploitation of children takes place regularly but only when a concrete case is presented for the Criminal bureau of Investigation.

Iceland

Although a separate course on commercial sexual exploitation of children is not on the curricula of the Police Academy, this issue is nevertheless included in other courses of the.

Latvia

The Latvian Police Academy provides the students with education material on professional ethics and professional psychology. These studies include practical knowledge about dealing with children who have been sexually abused. The students are taught about the differences in the prosecution process, the need for a special examination technique. However, there is a need for more specific and professional guidelines. There is also a need for specially educated handling officers.

Lithuania

There is no education on sexual exploitation of children in the Lithuanian Police Academy.

Norway

Investigating cases of sex crimes, including commercial sexual exploitation, is an integrated part of the basic education at the Police Academy. In addition, there are two post-graduate courses each year on the subject of sexual abuse of children. In these courses policemen are educated on how to interview children, how to carry out investigations and how special examination rooms shall be equipped.

Poland

There is no education on sexual exploitation of children on the curricula of the Police Academy.

Russia

The issue of commercial sexual exploitation is on the curricula of the Police Academies.
Sweden There was earlier a lecture on the subject in the basic education. This lecture was removed in 1996 and the planning for the new police education is still ongoing. There is no information whether the lecture is going to be in the new curricula or not. In January 1998 a new special training for handling officers starts where the issue of sexual exploitation of children is being taught.

5.2 The Europol

The Council of the European Union decided in 1996 to extend the mandate of EDU (European Drug Unit) to cover trafficking in human beings. The EDU submitted a report to the Europol Working Party indicating its priorities in this area. On the basis of that report, the Europol Working Party made recommendations. One of the recommendations is to amend the definition of the concept of "trafficking in human beings" set out in the Annex to the Europol Convention to enable Europol to combat the trafficking of pornographic material containing pictures of children.

5.3 Interpol and the Standing Working Party on Offences Against Minors

Interpol is an instrument of international co-operation and is a gateway to law enforcement authorities in the world when it comes to law enforcement actions, prevention and training. Interpol and the Standing Working Party closely co-operate with UN agencies and ECPAT.

Interpol which is the second largest international organisation in the world with 177 member states, adopted a resolution at its 61st General Assembly 1992. This resolution includes recommendations about actions concerning offences against minors. The General Assembly also created the Interpol Standing Working Party on Offences against Minors. Today this working party has participants from approximately 30 states.

Interpol has and will in the future continue to combat sexual crimes against minors , which include commercial sexual exploitation of children. The Interpol General Secretariat has requested the National Criminal Boards to nominate at least one specialised liaison officer within their countries to act as a contact point for all matters relating to crimes against children. Until now 60 countries have nominated a special officer.

The Standing Working Party has created a handbook on how to handle cases on crimes against minors. At a meeting in April 1996, a compilation of child pornography legislation was made by Interpol and distributed to the delegates for their comments. The compilation showed that there was a distinct lack of adequate legislation in a number of countries. This led to a resolution on child pornography at the General Assembly in October 1996.

(Twice every year a working group on crime against minors meets, where commercial sexual exploitation is discussed. Except for Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Russia all Baltic Sea States take part.)

The Expert Group has found it useful to have a police officer appointed on the local level in the police districts with a special responsibility in regard to sexual crimes committed against children, especially commercial sexual exploitation.

5.4 Co-operation projects

The Swedish National Crime Investigation Department arranged a seminar in Stockholm on 24 November 1997 regarding international co-operation on child abuse and child pornography. The seminar was partly financed by the STOP-programme of the EU-Commission. The main purpose of the seminar was to present and demonstrate a computerised library on child pornographic material. The library is a co-operation between German and Swedish police forces. The library has been in use in Sweden since the summer of 1997. A personal data register of persons who have been involved in child abuse or pornography, which includes both perpetrators and victims, is planned. The seminar was also aimed at establishing a network of contact persons with knowledge of child pornography issues.

In Sweden, parts of the computerised library have been in use since the summer of 1997. The library has, as mentioned above, been developed in co-operation between the German and the Swedish police forces. Extracted pictures from videos and Super 8-movies confiscated in Sweden with child pornography have been used. A more developed computerized library will serve as a useful tool to acquire knowledge about child pornography which has been and is currently spread around Europe. By using the library it will be possible to estimate the extent of existing material and the range of distribution, and also to identify victims and perpetrators in international co-operation. With this knowledge at hand, the fight against distribution of child pornographic material and thereby also sexual assaults on children can be more effective.

During the discussions at the seminars and the summing up some questions were raised:
- best technical way to make search in the library easy,
- what to put into the system and legal obstacles,
- how to share information,
- the need to supplement the library with photos of children missing since long.

The need of discussing these issues was stressed. Sweden is willing to take the responsibility for the co-ordination during 1998 under the condition that the work is financed by the STOP programme. Samples will be collected from the countries involved in order to map out the situation of child pornography world wide.

Representatives from each EU Member State , from the EU-Commission, EDU (Europol Drugs Unit), Interpol and representatives from Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Thailand, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Norway and Switzerland were invited to the seminar.

The Swedish Police College has with funding from the Swedish Government, been giving lectures for teachers at the Police Academies of the Baltic States, police officers and representatives from co-operation groups against child abuse from the Baltic Sea States. Lectures have been given in management, on environmental crime, on criminal investigation and on how to handle cases of child abuse.

Concerning the lectures on child abuse, one specialised officer has from the fall of 1995 until now been twice in Latvia, once in Estonia and Lithuania. The lectures included the following subjects: Knowledge and experiences of the Swedish police on how to handle cases of child abuse; the structure of the family; who is the perpetrator; treatment of the perpetrator; difficulties in connection with exposure of abuse; Swedish legislation in comparison with legislation in the Baltic States and co-operation between authorities.

A Nordic project with ECPAT and representatives from the police in the Nordic States has recently started. The purpose of the project is to map out the full extent of child pornography on the Internet and to give ideas on how to combat the problem.
The STOP Committee has approved the following actions to be subject to the necessary budgetary procedures:

1. A seminar on the trafficking in human beings and the sexual exploitation of children, with a view to strengthening international and multidisciplinary co-operation in this field and creating a legal and bibliographical data base available for consultation on the Internet (The Police school of the Land Baden-Würtemberg, Germany)

2. Two seminars for police officers on methods of combating violence against children and the trafficking in human beings, with special reference to interrogation techniques and behaviour in relation to children and women who have been victims of violence. Several representatives of CEECs will take part in the seminar. (The Ministry for the Interior and Sports of the Land Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany)

5.5 Local police co-operation at the borders

Denmark
Co-operation between the Danish Police and the neighbouring countries exist on a bilateral level e.g. in the border district at the German/Danish border and the Swedish border. The co-operation is informal.

Finland

In the Nordic countries the local police departments are permitted to co-operate directly in pre-trial investigations etc. However, when co-operating with other countries the National Bureau of Investigation is the central police authority through which all exchange of information is carried out.

Germany

Police co-operation exists between the German police and its counterparts on the other side of the German border.

Iceland

The Icelandic police and immigration authorities have a traditional co-operation unit with authorities in the neighbouring countries, especially in cities where there are direct flights to Iceland, and the main commercial harbours on the continent.
Latvia The present police co-operation at the borders (including that with Lithuania) is carried out on informal basis, however at present a broader-scope project on combating smuggling and trafficking is drafted at the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Latvia which would also include combating trafficking in children.

Lithuania

There is a border police co-operation between Lithuania and Russia, Belarus, Latvia and Poland.

Norway

Local police co-operation at the borders in this field takes place when needs arise. Generally, communication across the borders between police forces is transmitted through national Interpol branches.

Poland

A co-operation exists between local Polish police officers and the German police at some places along the border.
Russia The Ministry of the Interior co-operates with the Federal Border Police in order to stop the trade with children at the borders. In the work of combating the organised crime the federal police can use the federal intelligence service. Sweden See below.

5.6 Police and Customs Liaison officers stationed in the Baltic Sea Region

The police and the customs authorities in the Nordic countries have liaison officers stationed in different countries with a Nordic mandate. From the beginning the officers mainly worked with cases of narcotic drugs and illegal immigration. The officers have recently got an extended mandate to handle cases of child abuse. In the Baltic Sea Region the representation is as follows.

Swedish customs officer in Bonn, Germany
Danish police officer in Wiesbaden, Germany
Swedish customs officer in Copenhagen, Denmark
Swedish police officer and customs officer in Moscow, Russian Federation
Swedish police officer in St Petersburg, Russian Federation
Swedish police officer and customs officer in Tallinn, Estonia
Danish police officer in Vilnius, Lithuania
Swedish police officer in Riga, Latvia
Swedish police and customs officer in Warsaw, Poland Finnish Police officer in Tallinn, Estonia
Finnish Police officer in St Petersburg and Moscow, Russian Federation
Norwegian Police Officer in Moscow, Russian Federation
Norwegian Police Officer in Murmansk, Russian Federation
German Police Officer in Riga, Latvia
German Police Officer in Warsaw, Poland