In 2021-2022, the UNODC Global Firearms Programme (GFP) developed the Guidelines on Investigation and Prosecution of Firearms Offences. These Guidelines are based on the principles embodied in the UN Convention against Organized Crime and the United Nations Firearms Protocol, explaining all relevant stages of the criminal justice response, including the normative framework, investigation, prosecution, and adjudication, as well as international cooperation. The Guidelines also provide advice to effectively tackle firearms offences using illustrative case-based examples, identifying both successes and difficulties encountered by practitioners.
In the beginning of 2023, GFP provided support to the customization of the Guidelines to the legal framework in North Macedonia. The process included organizing four workshops in cooperation with the Judicial Academy for criminal justice practitioners. The events were held in the four appellate jurisdictions of the country, achieving the broadest outreach possible.
The workshops were attended by prosecutors from both basic and higher public prosecutor's offices, representatives from the Customs Administration, the Financial Police, the Ministry of Interior, including the Border Police, the Border Interagency Unit – BIU, based on the Skopje Airport, and representatives from the Department of Forensics and Technical Expertise – OKTIV, and the National Commission on SALW, reflecting synergy with UNODC’s other programs, such as the Container Control Program (CCP) and the AIRCOP.
During the workshops, GFP consulted its counterparts on the structure, scope, and content of the customized Guidelines. The workshops supported the identification of challenges faced by competent authorities in investigating and prosecuting crimes related to firearms, including inaccuracies in the substantive and procedural criminal legislation, difficulties in financial investigations, and problems with the staffing of expert departments. The workshops also provided insights into potential solutions, such as the need for inter-institutional cooperation during the pre-investigation phase, which were reflected in the draft document.
As a result of the consultation process with Macedonian practitioners, GFP customized its Guidelines to the Macedonian legal context and shared them with the Prosecutor’s General Office. In addition, the Judicial Academy agreed to use UNODC’s Guidelines as background material in its curricula.
This activity is implemented with financial support provided by Germany, the United Kingdom, Sweden, France, the Netherlands, and Norway through the Western Balkans SALW Control Roadmap Trust Fund and supported by the European Union.
