CESP: a reality
Whereas Europe is constructing every day, the European Police Officers are confronted with a situation which they do not control or little and which however has unquestionable consequences on their daily work.
The European Council of Police Trade Unions intends to fully take part in the realisation of this new judicial and police European space.
Its objective is to group professionals of the security whose ground experience put them into a position of proposing adequate and sometimes alternative solutions to institutional responses.
It makes a point of raising this daring but essential challenge, the creation of an unified, interdependent and effective Europe of the Policeofficers.
To reach that point and with the aim of improving the mission of public service given to the police officers, the CESP takes up the challenge to re-valorise the police function thanks to the responsible trade-union organisations which make it up.
It is by this action that the CESP has a direct action in the life of the police officer. For this purpose it carries out comparative studies on the European police forces organisation.
The synthesis of the trade-union experiments of its members tends to improve the life and working conditions of each police officer to enable him as well as possible to ensure the security of its fellow citizens. It takes an active part in the works of the Council of Europe (www.coe.fr)) by its membership to the NGO Joint Commission.
It collaborates in the various groupings of the NGO and more particularly in the fields of the « Social rights, European Social Charter », of the « Civil Society in New Europe » and of the « Human Rights ».
For this reason it contributes to the programme of « Police and Human rights » (www.humanrights.coe.int/police) of the Direction of the Human Rights.
Since 2003, it is registered on the list of the Bureau for Workers' Activities (ACTRAV) of the International Labour Office (www.ilo.org/public/english/dialogue/actrav/index.htm) at Geneva and is invested near the Commission (www.europa.eu.int/com) and the European Parliament (www.europarl.eu.int/).
This work allowed and will still make it possible to obtain progress as regards social and judicial protections for the police officer in countries where they do not exist or little and to get improvements where they are already a reality.
In addition, the CESP studies concerning the comparisons of treatments, premiums, welfare benefits will have a beneficial influence on the career and the economic situation of many police officers in the context of the European construction.
The opening of the borders and its effects on the work of the Police force were not really measured by those who built « The Europe of Trade ».
The CESP claims for and works to the realisation of a police judicial organisation close to the citizen and able to fight effectively against all the forms of delinquency and in particular against the organised crime which undermines the Democracy.
This ambitious programme supposes a perfect knowledge of the various European police forces and of their specificity. Does it exist a better space for dialogue, exchanges and work that the one that the European Council of Police Trade Unions has been able to built since 1988 ?
The European Council of Police Unions C.E.S.P.
| An International Non-Governmental Organisation with the participatory status near the Council of Europe. Professionals have clearly expressed their opinion on : |
| THE USE OF PUBLIC FORCES IN SOCIAL CONFLICTS |
| « The CESP declares that the Police can not be used as a pressure instrument in the service of a government’s policy » (Lisbon, April 1990). |
| THE USE OF FIREARMS BY POLICE FORCES |
| « Policemen are not executioners ; they have neither the power, nor the will to be any » (Lisbon, April 1990). |
| PRIVATE SAFETY COMPANIES |
| « The police must have the means to ensure the citizens’ safety. Its field of action is public » (Meyzieu, October 1990). |
| RACIALISM AND XENOPHOBIA |
| « The CESP reasserts the obligation for police forces to remain in the service of the Right, and to be impartial in any circumstances, whatever the ethnic or social origins of the criminals or offenders » (Meyzieu, October 1990). |
| RIGHT-ABIDING STATE AND POLICE UNIONS |
| « The CESP considers that an archaic vision of the function of policemen, rooted in the past and arising from authoritarian regimes, prevents granting the policemen the Rights and Freedoms that all citizens of democratic States enjoy. Only those who regard the Police as the expression of « power » against the citizen, not as « the citizen’s power », can regard police unionism as a negative or disruptive element » (Madrid, April 1991). |
| CIVILIAN NATURE OF SAFETY FORCES |
| « The CESP does not recognise the adoption of a military pattern for the organisations and functions of any Police in a democratic State, as it guarantees neither the individual and collective Rights nor the Freedoms of the citizens » (Athens, November 1991). |
| DEMOCRATIC EVOLUTION OF THE POLICE FORCE IN EASTERN EUROPE |
| « The change is done too slowly and the authorities of the Central and Eastern European country are still too chilly to recognise the role of social regulator of the police officers and of their representatives. The CESP reminds with force that only the strict application of Resolution 690/79 of the Council of Europe relating to the declaration on the Police force can allow a democratic running of the Police force. The ethical principles and the statuary protection of the police officer stated there are a guarantee for the whole society » « The CESP confirms its determination to always defend the application of the principles of it everywhere and with greatest firmness » (Athens, November 1991). |
| TERRORISM |
| The CESP denounces the use of terrorist activities and the support it gets under the pretext of political ideologies, economical interest or fanatical nationalism. Those who negotiate with assassins will end up as murderers. Those who do not take all legal and democratic measures to fight against terrorism, whatever its pretext, will become the accomplices of these assassins » (Athens, November 1991). |
| EUROPEAN COOPERATION OF THE POLICE |
| « The CESP requests that a common legislation be adopted by all European countries for Penal Law and Penal Procedure In the meantime, they propose : - to set up a common information system for all European polices, while respecting Human Rights, - to create joint squads allowing greater effectiveness in the fight against international crime, under the leadership of an European Operational Authority, - to set up common training centres, organising training periods for European policemen, with a special emphasis on the ethical aspects of the profession » (Budapest, May 1992). |
| INDEPENDENCE OF POLICE FORCES |
| « The CESP is working to achieve a true independence of police unionism from political parties and governments. The achievements of union right do not belong to those who are temporarily in charge of a professional organisation, but to all policemen. The CESP does not accept any obstacle to union rights in the police, which is one of the fundamental institutions supporting Democracy. A democratic, law-abiding policeman is in the service of all citizens, not in that of a party or government » (Budapest, May 1992). |
| DRUG |
| « In front of the pest of drug, which expand in Europe and strike particularly the youth, the CESP mobilises all European policemen and decides immediately to put into position a work group gathering specialists in charge of that problem and working in the field. The CESP denounces the frivolity in a number of European countries to track down profiteer who retrain and use the money of drugs business » (Nicosia, September 1993). |
| POLICEMEN, PUBLIC POLICE CONSTABLE |
| « The CESP is really preoccupied by the situation nowadays in Europe. The European idea is called into question, the ethnic conflicts or civil wars undermine the Human Rights and reduce significantly the democratic principles defended by CESP». «In front of these dramatic situations, Police and Policemen appear too often as instruments of the politic powers. The CESP denounces this use and reasserts with strengths and conviction that policemen have to be PUBLIC POLICE CONSTABLES» (Nicosia, September 1993). |
| UNION TRADE FREEDOM |
| The CESP claims the freedom to gather in union without restriction in compliance with the recommendation 690 of the Council of Europe and stopping of the pressure towards certain policemen trade unionists performing their mandates. Any interference with trade unionism is the flagrant demonstration of the willing to release from the democracy. (Trojanovice – June 1995) |
| POLICE TRAINING |
| The CESP asks for an initial and continue normalised training for all the European policemen including the learning foreign languages. This learning must be opened on the civilian community in order to prepare the professionals to come up to the citizens’ expectations. It must be oriented on the respect of the law and rules, the impartiality and the respect of the human rights. The apprenticeship of some technical and the learning of some police missions have to be suitable to the needs of a police of proximity. (Warsaw – April 1997) |
| EUROPEAN JUDICIAL SPACE |
| The CESP reasserts its call of Budapest (May 1992) and challenges the European governments to harmonise at last the European judicial and police laws in order to efficiency struggle against all forms of criminality. It asks for the suppression of the tax haven used as financial sanctuary for the organised crime and to set up, under the patronage of the Council of Europe, the “ First European Conference of the Home Safety”. (Ohrid – FYROM – March 1998) |
| LEVEL OF REMUNERATION |
| The CESP defends the principle that the efficiency in the fight against all forms of criminality and against corruption is getting by the re-evaluation of the levels of recruitment and training of the European polices. Per contra, policemen must get a fair salary in order to offer to their family a standard of living relating to particular compulsion and duties due to their job. (Ohrid – March 1998) |
| THE EUROPEAN SOCIAL CHARTER |
| The CESP requests to Governments of its 18 member countries to bring proceedings of signature, ratification and application of the revised Social Charter and its additional protocol, into action. Therefore, it claims that all European policemen do not be victims of discrimination as regards social and human rights. (Lille – November 1998) |
| ORGANISED CRIME |
| The CESP reminds its preoccupation in front of the growing threat of the organised crime factor of weakness of democracy It deplores the absence of harmonisation of the legislative and judicial rules. The CESP asks for the creation of European instances of investigation and information to face the challenge of the organised crime and corruption. It claims the creation of police and judicial structures which will be able to deal with these forms of criminality and the creation of a court with Europeans skills like the European Court of Human Rights. (Athens – Mars 1999) |
| THE CIVIC CONTROL OF THE POLICE |
| The Civic Control of the Police must externally be carried out by the citizen, justice, media, associations, the elect, NGO but internally too, by some bodies of inquiry and monitoring. The elected of the personal from the trades unions organisations are associated to the internal civic control of the police participating in the disciplinary instances. (Sofia – November 1999) |
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