Police involvement is key in addressing peer violence and juvenile delinquency

The involvement and proper handling of peer violence and juvenile delinquency cases by police officers are crucial for ensuring a safer environment for young people, as highlighted today during the training organized by the Centre for Civic Education (CCE) for 20 police officers from the Central region of Montenegro in Podgorica.

Today’s training was led by Maja Janković, a state prosecutor at the Special State Prosecutor’s Office, and Kristina Mihailović, Executive Director of the Parents Association. They addressed numerous topics with the participants, including the observation and assessment of juveniles in preliminary proceedings, mediation in criminal procedures, criminal offenses against the sexual freedom of children, and handling children and youth as victims.

I am pleased with the interaction during today’s session. Colleagues from the police were very interested in sharing their experiences and acquiring new knowledge. I believe that not only this but also future training sessions, which I hope will be continuous and organized by the CCE, will sufficiently assist the Police Directorate in taking further measures and actions and improve the quality of their work in this field,” shared her impressions Maja Janković, state prosecutor, after the training.

This training is the second in a series organized by the CCE, in cooperation with the Police Directorate, aimed at strengthening the competencies of police officers in handling cases of peer violence and juvenile delinquency. The previous training was held for the northern region, and the final session is scheduled for next week, gathering police personnel from the Southern region of Montenegro.

The training is part of the project HEART: Support for the Empowerment and Resilience of Youth Today, implemented by the CCE with financial support from the European Union and co-financed by the Ministry of Public Administration.

Marlena Ivanović, Program Associate