European Police College (CEPOL)

The European Police College (CEPOL) is a cooperation network made up of the national training institutes for senior police officers. It aims to develop a joint approach to the main problems encountered in the fight against crime and crime prevention through training courses and seminars aimed at qualified police officers.

ACT

Council Decision of 22 December 2000 establishing a European Police College [Official Journal L 336 of 30.12.2000][See amending acts].

SUMMARY

At its meeting in Tampere on 15 and 16 October 1999, the European Council agreed to establish a network of national police training institutes. The Council Decision establishing the European Police College (CEPOL) follows on from that decision. Its objective is to step up cooperation between national police schools in order to promote a joint approach to the major problems encountered in fighting crime, preventing delinquency and maintaining law and order. This decision has been amended twice: Decision 2004/566/JAI gives CEPOL legal personality, and Decision 2004/567/JAI makes some changes at institutional level.

Organisation of CEPOL

CEPOL takes the form of a network bringing together national training institutes for senior police officers.

It has a permanent secretariat and is managed by a governing board made up of the directors of the national training institutes. Each national delegation (consisting of one or more directors of national training institutes) has one vote on the governing board. Representatives of the General Secretariat of the Council, the Commission and Europol sit on the governing board as non-voting observers. Members of the governing board may be accompanied by experts, if necessary. The College's operating costs are borne by the Member States.

The governing board takes decisions unanimously. It decides on the annual training programme and may adopt additional programmes and initiatives. Its decisions are passed on to the Council, which takes note of them and endorses them.

Training courses for senior police officers

To start with, CEPOL's activities will focus on senior police officers, who will be able to attend sessions based on common standards.

CEPOL will also organise specialised training for middle-ranking police officers and police officers in the field, for the trainers themselves and for police officers involved in combating organised crime or in non-military crisis management in countries outside the Union.

Police authorities from countries applying for membership of the Union may also take part in specialised training.

The decision also covers exchanges of police officers, the dissemination of best practice and the development of an electronic network to provide back-up for CEPOL in the performance of its other duties.

The College may cooperate with the national police training institutes of non-member countries of the European Union. In particular, it makes its infrastructures available to senior police officers from the applicant countries and from Iceland and Norway, and will consider the possibility of allowing officials of the European institutions and other European Union bodies access to its facilities.

CEPOL is invested with legal capacity. The administrative director of CEPOL is its legal representative.

The headquarters of CEPOL are in Bramshill, United Kingdom.

This Decision has been in force since 1 January 2001.

See also

For further information, please consult the following websites:

• European Commission: Justice, Freedom and Security Directorate-General
• CEPOL

Last updated: 12.08.2005