.…Europe is changing. So international policing is striking a new path…
Political, economic, social and technological developments of the early 90's led to a dramatic increase in international and transnational serious crime in Europe, often related to organized crime.
The European police forces act increasingly against these developments by legal and practical measures designed and organized in the framework of international cooperation and coordination. Fighting groups of criminals operating on an international basis requires continuous police actions. Only special trained police officers can guarantee the success of preparation and execution of all these actions.
With this in mind, specific training measures, planned and performed by the Central European states in agreement and mutual consent, are required.
Apart from being of great practical use for the operative and analytical work of the police, this active and continuing further training creates the idea that all police forces are playing the same role and are sharing the same professional philosophy. Moreover, this is necessary for the national security of all states in Central Europe, to enable them to create similar living conditions and a security for all their inhabitants.
On this basis, the following states organise and finance the
Central European Police Academy – CEPA
(MEPA, which is the German abbreviation for "Mitteleuropäische Polizeiakademie"):
- Germany
- Austria
- Principality of Liechtenstein
- Switzerland
- Slovak Republic
- Slovenia
- Czech Republic
- Hungary
As a training institution supported by all its members, the CEPA plans and organizes training activities that are focussed on practical work and current police requirements. These training activities are specially geared for officers at the intermediate level of police management, who have a longstanding operative experience.
Legal Basis
In Budapest on May 22nd, 2001 the responsible ministers of the eight member countries of the Central European Police Academy signed a "Joint Declaration of Cooperation within the framework of Central European Police Academy (CEPA)" (German abbreviation for Mitteleuropäische Polizeiakademie-MEPA).