This toolkit contains international standards and principles of democratic policing.
The guidebook is designed to assist OSCE staff dealing with police and law-enforcement issues as well as police practitioners and policy-makers working to develop and strengthen democratic policing. It serves as a reference to good policing practices and internationally adopted standards. The guidebook articulates the objectives of democratic police services and forces, the importance of their commitment to the rule of law, policing ethics, and human rights standards, the essential nature of police accountability to the law and to the society which they serve, and the need for their cooperation with the communities, recognizing that effective policing requires partnership with the communities being served. Furthermore, the guidebook elaborates on structural and managerial aspects within the police necessary in achieving and sustaining democratic policing.
