The Multiplicity of Languages as Professional Competence for the Ministry of Internal Affairs Personnel: the promise and the challenge Police Assistant Superintendent Dania-Lara Trofil

interconnected digital XXI century world, collaboration and communication - the skills of the century. intercultural communication skills,

Reading between the lines. Hints, euphemisms, to err intentionally (ironically) makes us look more natural. to err intentionally (ironically) makes us look more natural. to be efficient and natural in using the language, as the two important features of communication are efficiency and adequacy

The Institute of Studies for Public Order A rewarding challenge: how the multiplicity of languages could strengthen European police cooperation

Language as a Professional Competence Each civil servant must have a good command of one international language and those working with Border Police or International Relations Units will have a very good command of at least one foreign language

The socio-economic realities, but also the geo-political ones have imposed the alignment of the law enforcement institutions to a European common framework, a process that comes with a new approach even when we speak about the crime phenomenon. Along with the 4 freedoms comes an unfortunate 5 th one-the transborder crime = Police cooperation= good command of English but also good communication skills

Hence, the necessity to answer the challenges posed by the various fields of criminality and consequantly the police cooperation enhancement are solid arguments to further train the MIA personnel in aquiring language skills in order to be able to represent the institution and to act efficiently with European police officers.

Romanian ENU HQ Department for Foreign Languages and International Missions Training Institute of Studies for Public Order Sos. Oltenitei , Romania

with an over 63 - year tradition, The Institute of Studies for Public Order (I.S.P.O.), under the subordination of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (M.A.I.) is acknowledged as a training institute with an integrative role in providing professional development courses and programmes to the M.A.I personnel, according to their training needs

I.S.P.O. is the main training provider that integrates both the foundation and further professional training, over 4,000 civil servants within M. I. A. being here trained annually

ISPO a wide range of courses which have addressed both the managerial and executive staff: foundation, further and professional training in foreign languages, information technology, physical education, shooting, training and selection of M.A.I. personnel in order to take part in international missions-led activities, as well as other types of training sessions required and organised in tight collaboration with similar institutions from Romania and abroad, such as: project management, preventing and fighting corruption, training sessions on combating torture and other forms of inhuman and degrading treatment, preventing discrimination in conjunction with representatives of Nongovernmental Organizations.

Foreign Languages and International Missions Training Department 11 foreign language trainers (English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian) basic, further and specialised training programmes which address the MIA personnel’s training needs in the field of foreign languages. The specialised training for candidates who are to be deployed in multinational missions, under UNO, EU, OSCE and NATO represents a distinct domain

On average, at least two modules of each category of courses are developed yearly according to the beneficiaries’ training needs and Romania’s commitments at the MIA level, offering the participants the opportunity to acquire and improve foreign language competence, but also to acquire special vocabulary targeting specific lines of work, necessary for their professional performance.

A basic foreign language course – 2 months/ 6h/day= 240 h -4 competencies A further training language course (Admission test-A2) – 1 month/ / 6h/day = 120 h -3 competencies (MAX 16 trainees -2 training sessions/a year) A specialised training language course (Admission test- B1) -3 weeks=90 h -2 competencies (MAX 16 trainees -2 training sessions/a year) Trainee individual study (2h/day) is always included within the curriculum

International Missions Courses Since 1997 I.S.P.O. started to train Romanian police officers volunteers for Peacekeeping missions. Since 2007, on the request of the E.U. we have been training police officers for EU Civilian missions. At the request of Civilian Planning and Conduct Capability, I.S.P.O. trained approximately 100 police officers per year for Police missions under the EU umbrella. I.S.P.O. graduates took part in almost all CSDP missions including EUPOL Afghanistan which is considered to be the most difficult CSDP mission so far.

selection English/French (B2) test for admission to the course + professional criteria to be met (MAX 15 trainees -2 training sessions/a year) selection English/French (B2) test for admission to the course + professional criteria to be met (MAX 15 trainees -2 training sessions/a year) 3 competencies – foreign language (UNSAAT Exam –centered) - police tactics - police tactics - survival techniques - survival techniques