(1)

The Tampere European Council of 15 and 16 October 1999 concluded that there was a need to develop crime prevention measures, to exchange best practices and to strengthen the network of competent national authorities for crime prevention, as well as cooperation between national organisations specialising in this field, specifying that this cooperation could have as its chief priorities juvenile, urban and drug-related crime. To this end, a study of the possibility of a programme financed by the Community was called for.

(2)

Recommendation 6 of the European Union strategy for the beginning of the new millennium on the prevention and control of organised crime (2) calls for the Council to be assisted by suitably qualified experts on crime prevention, such as the national focal points, or by establishing a network of experts from national crime prevention organisations.

(3)

Council Decision 2001/427/JHA established a European Crime Prevention Network (3).

(4)

An external evaluation of the European Crime Prevention Network which was conducted in 2008-2009 identified opportunities for strengthening the Network which were accepted by the EUCPN Board and which make it necessary to repeal Decision 2001/427/JHA and to replace it by a new Council Decision concerning the Network.

(5)

The evaluation identified the need for more engagement in the activities of the Network by the national representatives.

(6)

A number of changes are required to strengthen the Network which include amendments to the provisions dealing with contact points, the Secretariat, the structure of the Board and its tasks, including the appointment of the Chair.

(7)

Changes in the composition of the Network should be efficient and cost-effective, drawing on previous experiences of Member States in funding and carrying out the secretarial and other Network tasks. The Board should increase efforts in cooperating to investigate and exploit to their full potential, the possibilities for funding through the general budget of the European Union. This could be done on the basis of either framework partnerships or that the Network is included in the list of recognised monopoly bodies in the relevant financing programme.

(8)

Other provisions should be based on Decision 2001/427/JHA,

(a)

facilitate cooperation, contacts and exchanges of information and experience between actors in the field of crime prevention;

(b)

collect, assess and communicate evaluated information including good practice on existing crime prevention activities;

(c)

organise conferences, in particular an annual Best Practice Conference, and other activities, including the annual European Crime Prevention Award, designed to achieve the objectives of the Network and to share widely the results thereof;

(d)

provide its expertise to the Council and the Commission as required;

(e)

report to the Council on its activities each year through the Board and the competent working bodies. The Council shall be invited to endorse the report and forward it to the European Parliament;

(f)

develop and implement a work programme based on a clearly defined strategy that takes account of identifying and responding to relevant crime threats.

(a)

favour a multidisciplinary approach;

(b)

be in close contact, through the national representatives and the contact points, with crime prevention bodies, local authorities, local partnerships and civil society as well as with research institutions and nongovernmental organisations in the Member States;

(c)

set up and maintain its own website, containing its regular reports and any other useful information, in particular a compendium of best practices;

(d)

endeavour to use and promote the results of projects, relevant for crime prevention, funded through Union programmes.