The European Union Police Mission for the Palestinian Territories (official title EU Police Co-ordinating Office for Palestinian Police Support, abbreviated to EUPOL COPPS) is a "three-year mission to reform and rebuild the police force in the West Bank and Gaza",[1] which started on 1 January 2006, under the European Union's Common Security and Defence Policy.[2] It is one of two civilian missions the EU runs in the Palestinian Territories, the other being the European Union Border Assistance Mission Rafah (EU BAM Rafah).
EUPOL COPPS has its headquarters in Ramallah, and its objective is to support the Palestinian Authority in establishing sustainable and effective policing arrangements.[3] By attempting to improve Palestinian civil police and law enforcement capacity, EUPOL COPPS represents the efforts of the EU and the wider international community to support the Palestinian Authority in taking responsibility for law and order.
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EUPOL COPPS was established following an EU Council decision in November 2005, and builds on the work of the EU Co-ordination Office for Palestinian Police Support (EU COPPS), which was established in January 2005 within the office of the EU Special Representative for the Middle East Peace Process, Ambassador Marc Otte. The initiative followed the expression by EU leaders in June 2004 of their readiness to support the Palestinian Authority in taking responsibility for law and order, and in particular, in improving its civil police and law enforcement capacity.[4]
EUPOL COPPS is composed of 32 unarmed members of staff, 27 of whom are European and 5 local. Most of the staff are secondees from EU member states.[4] The current Head of Mission is Chief Constable Paul Robert Kernaghan, CBE, QPM, who succeeded Colin Smith on 1 January 2009. The first Head of Mission, Assistant Chief Constable was Jonathan McIvor.[4] The Head of Mission receives guidance from EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana, through the EU Special Representative for the Middle East Peace Process, Marc Otte.[4]
EUPOL COPPS is a civilian mission in the framework of the European Security and Defence Policy and the EU's Political and Security Committee exercises, under the responsibility of the EU Council, the political control and strategic direction of the Mission.[4]