Department of Public Security (DPS)

Department of Public Security

Steven Griner

Director of the Department of Public Security

The Department of Public Security (DPS) was established in 2005 with the purpose of supporting the efforts of the Member States in the assessment, prevention, diagnosis, management, and response to traditional, new, and emerging threats to public security in the countries of the Americas. DPS works under the Secretariat for Multidimensional Security.

The DPS prioritizes its work based on the mandates and recommendations that originate from the General Assembly, the Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Public Security (and its Subsidiary Technical Groups), Meetings of National Authorities, and the Committee on Hemispheric Security of the Permanent Council.

The efforts are focused on 7 major thematic areas:

Violence and crime prevention and reduction.
Police institution reform and professionalization of law enforcement personnel.
Penitentiary institution reform, reintegration of inmates, and professionalization of prison staff.
Strengthening the investigative capabilities of law enforcement and judicial authorities, including crimes related to irregular migration and extortion kidnapping.
Control and reduction of the illegal manufacture and trafficking of firearms, ammunition, explosives, and related materials.
Minefield neutralization, landmine deactivation and destruction, raising awareness of the risks and impact of landmines, and assisting victims.

Standardization of indicators and methodologies to enhance data quality, coordination of observatories, and information mechanisms related to public security.

The DPS develops these 7 thematic areas based on 4 lines of action:

Technical assistance.
Elaboration and implementation of instruments and normative frameworks.
International cooperation and horizontal exchange.
Support to the political bodies of the OAS in matters of public security.

In addition, the DPS works with generation of information and knowledge on relevant topics for the countries in the hemisphere in a transversal manner across all areas.

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Structure

Security and Justice Section

Supports the member states in the design, implementation and evaluation of public policies that promote the improvement of their police and justice systems, the effective implementation of access to justice, and the professionalization and modernization of police forces and their penitentiary systems. It also promotes the creation of victim and witness assistance and protection programs and the strengthening of police, prosecutorial and judicial crime investigation capacity. 

Prevention of Violence Section

The Section for the Prevention of Violence supports member states in the design and implementation of programs, plans, projects, public policies, and other initiatives to strengthen institutional and human capacities to prevent and reduce violence, crime, and insecurity, as well as to assist victims and survivors in their comprehensive reintegration.

Conventional Arms and Ammunition Section

Supports Member States in strengthening their capacity to manage conventional arms and ammunition through operational programs. In addition, it seeks to provide technical advice to related political forums (CIFTA, CITAAC, CSBM) and generate information on the challenges of illicit trafficking and proliferation of arms and ammunition.

Information and Knowledge Section

Collects, generates, and makes available public security data, information and knowledge.

Humanitarian Mine Action Section

AICMA seeks to reestablish safe and productive living conditions for mine-affected communities. Its activities include humanitarian demining; mine-risk education; the physical rehabilitation and economic integration of victims of mines and other explosive devices; the destruction of stockpiled mines; and the promotion of the ban on the use, stockpiling, production, and transfer of antipersonnel mines.

PICAD Section

PICAD strengthens the capacity of OAS Member States to prevent and investigate organized crime linked to the exploitation of refugees and migrants, particularly human trafficking and migrant smuggling.

Political Forums Section

The DPS, in it is capacity as the technical secretariat, follows up on the mandates assigned in the resolutions, declarations, and/or recommendations of the General Assembly, Permanent Council, and political forums, regarding Public Security.

More Projects

Highlighted Projects, Programs and Initiatives