25/09/2025

A delegation of the Agency for Education and Professional Training, led by Director Marko Vujević, took part at the annual conference of the European Association of Police Colleges from 23 to 25 September in Belgrade (Serbia).

“Police Leadership – Challenges of the Modern Age and the Role of the Police in Society” was the main theme of the conference, which brought together representatives of police institutions, universities, and international organizations from 22 European countries. Through lectures and workshops, the conference addressed the following topics: Strategic directions of police work, Modern police, Police leadership, Current challenges and the role of the police in society, Linking medicine and police, Operational approaches, teaching, strategic approaches, Staff recruitment, values Ethics of police education. The event also offered answers to current questions regarding operational and strategic approaches and their impact on ordinary citizens. Lecturers from Serbia, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Hungary, Norway, and Portugal presented many solutions with the aim of further connecting police institutions and strengthening the security of the European continent.

The organizer of the conference was the Faculty of Criminalistics and Police Studies with the support of the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Serbia. The participants were welcomed at the beginning by the Serbian Minister of the Interior, Ivica Dačić, who, reflecting on current security challenges, emphasized that the modern police must be highly educated, professionally trained, and ethically grounded, and that without this there can be no leadership capable of responding to today’s risks. Rector Dr. Zoran Đurđević recalled the mission of police education institutions, which must work on educating a quality police cadre that, in line with modern security challenges and new forms of crime, will be able not only to preserve but also to enhance security. “Investing in knowledge is investing in the future. Investing in higher police education is an investment in the police profession, an investment in the rule of law. For us, cooperation is not a matter of choice but a prerequisite for quality work. Without the exchange of knowledge, there can be no progress in education,” Rector Đurđević emphasized.

The President of the European Association of Police Colleges, Stefan Egerter, thanked the Serbian Ministry of the Interior and the Faculty of Criminalistics and Police Studies for their hospitality and excellent organization of the event.

Along with Director Vujević, the conference was attended by Head of the Support Department Dunja Galić and Senior Adviser for Statistics, Analysis, Monitoring, and Implementation of International Training Standards, Helena Kolobarić.