On 10-11 December 2024, at the Higher Institute of Police Internal Security Sciences (ISCPSI) in Lisbon, the Commandant-Rector of the Police Academy in Szczytno, Col. dr. Agata Malasińska-Nagórny represented our institution at the meeting of the Heads of Police Schools and representatives of the Executive Committee of the Association of European Police Colleges - AEPC.
The AEPC Executive Committee Meeting was officially opened by newly elected President -
Col. Stefan Aegerter, Director of the Swiss Police Institute in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. The undertaking in Lisbon was attended by 12 representatives from 7 member countries: Austria, Georgia, Germany, Poland, Portugal, Switzerland and Hungary.
The AEPC President provided information on the establishment of the Committee's strategy closely correlated with its role as a key player in the international police training arena. While the core mission of promoting the exchange of experience between police leadership training institutions remains unchanged, Col. Stefan Aegerter stressed the significance of operating in a more competitive environment with established European Union Agencies such as e.g. CEPOL.
The deliberations of the heads and representatives of the AEPC Association dealt with ways
to strengthen the governance structure to ensure the sustainable growth and impact of the AEPC, as well as the tasks and establishment of working/expert groups of member countries to lead key projects
in the long term and promote the involvement of member institutions.
The meeting’s key issues involved plans to organize training courses in the area of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Virtual Reality (VR), as well as the importance of promoting the exchange of best practices
in pedagogy, pointing out learner-centered approaches along with the use of the latest technologies.
Another main topic of the meeting was focused on encouraging and supporting joint research projects on new challenges in police training and leadership.
It should be noted that the Police Academy in Szczytno has been the only police school in Poland to be a member of the Association of European Police Cooleges (AEPC) since 2003, therefore, the intention is to actively participate in the meetings of the Executive Committee of the Association, supporting with knowledge and experience also during planned future courses and trainings organized within the framework of the international network of AEPC.
