Course: Strengthening local societal security and preparedness

Learning together about policing before, during and after conflict

As we face increasing conflict and a rapidly changing security landscape, strengthening societal preparedness requires more than coordinated responses. It requires resilient communities built through cooperation, trust, inclusion and conflict prevention. This course brings together police, local government and civil society to learn across professional and organizational boundaries, explore complex preparedness challenges, and develop practical approaches to addressing them collectively.

In the face of increasing conflict in and around Europe and shifting global and regional security alliances, relatively peaceful countries, including Norway, are increasingly concerned with new and emerging complex threats that they feel ill-prepared to prevent and address (cyber attacks, climate change, organized crime, food insecurity to name a few). Preparedness is therefore at the forefront of the political agenda, where the police, together with other government and civil society actors, are expected to be ready to respond quickly and effectively in the event of a conflict/crisis to ensure the safety of all citizens.  

Societal preparedness, however, involves more than a well-coordinated response. Longer-term societal processes that contribute to the overall resilience of communities are essential. These processes, e.g. cooperation, inclusion, conflict prevention and trust-building are all processes where the police play a key role. 

The overall aim of this course is therefore to enable police, local government and civil society organizations to gain a deeper understanding of what can be done collectively today to strengthen the resilience of communities in the event of conflict in the future.  

Target group

Applicants from the police (eg. preparedness planners, preventative police), county and municipalities (eg. preparedness personnel/inclusion/youth responsible), and civil society organizations are encouraged to apply. We recommend groups with representatives from these different sectors to enrol together if possible.

Time and location

The course is taught in English and consists of two in-person sessions over a period of four months. Between the sessions, the participants will work on a group project.

The first session (November) starts early Monday morning, so participants are expected to arrive the evening before. The second session will start Monday afternoon.

About the course

• Course content

  The course is built on the premise that the challenges faced in preventing and responding to conflict are highly complex and contextual. They are often referred to as ‘wicked problems’: serious problems that are unpredictable, have multiple causes and no simple or definitive solutions.  

  Addressing such challenges requires interdisciplinary, collaborative and sustainable approaches. This course provides both theoretical insight and practical tools to collectively address issues specifically identified as complex but critical for policing before, during and after conflict.  Employing problem-based learning, the course emphasizes discussion, dialog, reflection, and co-creation. Participants will apply these insights, skills and tools in a practical field exercise and develop concrete practice and policy recommendations for their own work in preparedness. 

  A key and unique aspect of this course is the focus on learning about the lived experiences of police and communities in a variety of conflict and post-conflict contexts.  The case of Ukraine will be a major focus throughout the course, with resource persons from the Ukrainian police sharing their experiences of policing in conflict, and how this has influenced their thinking on prevention and preparedness. 

  In addition, the course teachers and facilitators have extensive knowledge of and experience from policing both in Norway and in conflict and post-conflict countries in Eastern Europe, South Asia, Africa and Latin America. This allows participants to learn from a variety of contexts, and be able to reflect on what this might mean for preparedness in Norway. 

• Learning outcome

  On completion of the course, the candidate will have the following learning outcomes:  

  Knowledge 

  • has advanced knowledge within the field of human and societal security and specialized insight in conflict-related policing and crisis preparedness 

  • has extensive knowledge of relevant theories, field methods, laws, regulations and grey literature, and can apply their knowledge in preparing for and tackling emerging and unexpected situations 

  • is aware of and can analyze challenges connected with policing and conflict preparedness in a variety of contexts at home and abroad. 

  Skills 

  • can independently identify, analyze and deal critically with theory, methods, regulations and various sources of information and use them to structure and formulate policy and practice 

  • can carry out a comprehensive contextual assessment of existing and potential risks and strengths, including, in particular, networks, structures and organizational processes, exclusion and inclusion mechanisms, vulnerabilities, available human and other resources, in local communities using collaborative methods 

  • can communicate and collaborate with different actors to identify, analyze and implement possible remedies for practical problems requiring complex,  innovative, ethically sound and sustainable solutions  

  • can facilitate competence building through personal and professional reflection with participants from within and outside their organization or communities 

  General competence 

  • can identify, analyze and decide on how to act when facing ethical challenges 

  • can apply the knowledge and skills acquired to a broader set of complex challenges  

  • can and is ready to communicate and engage with a variety of actors  

  • is able to continue developing their knowledge and skills related to the topics covered by the course 

  • can effectively use creative thinking and problem solving methods  
    

• Learning activities and compulsary activities

  The course will consist of learning activities like presentations, discussions, case studies, problem-based activities, project development and implementation, brainstorming, group work, peer-to-peer learning, roleplays and scenarios, educational games and analysis of texts and media.

  Some pre-course reading and preparation will be required.
  
  Compulsary activities: Lessons learned report, in-class participation, in-person attendance.

• Assessment

  Written project proposal 40 % 

  Project evaluation presentation 60 % 

  The written assignments may be submitted in English or Norwegian. Oral presentations are conducted in English and graded Pass/Fail
  
  

Admission

To be admitted and receive academic credits (ECTS), a relevant bachelor's degree or equivalent is required.

If you lack general university admissions certification, you can apply for admission based on prior learning and work experience (realkompetanse). NMBU evaluates such applications on a rolling basis. You must turn 25 years of age or older in the year you apply for admission. To document your prior learning (non-formal and informal competence), you must attach copies of relevant diplomas for education and certificates for employment/work experience. The documentation must be uploaded together with your application. You must document work experience and education for it to be included in our assessment of your application.

If you do not have the required competence for academic credits, you can still participate fully, and upon a successful completion receive a course diploma.

Free course (incl. board and lodging at in-person sessions)

There is no course fee for this course. In addition, board and lodging are covered at the Norwegian Police University College's training center in Kongsvinger during the in-person sessions. Funding is provided through the Nansen Programme, via the Directorate for Higher Education and Skills.

Participants will receive full board and lodging, which includes three meals a day plus coffee/tea and snacks. Since the first session starts early Monday morning, participants are expected to arrive the day before.

For those who need it, it is also possible to apply to the project for travel support related to the sessions. Travel must be booked and conducted in accordance with the Norwegian government's domestic travel regulations.

Teaching staff

• Professor Ingrid L. P. Nyborg

  

  Ingrid Nyborg is a professor at the Department of International Environment and Development Studies, at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences.  She has over 30 years of experience in research and teaching in human security and post conflict/crisis development mainly in Africa and South Asia. Examples of her research include livelihood studies in Afghanistan, and the study of human security, gender and development in the Swat Valley, Pakistan, where she explored how local perceptions of security and development compare with policy narratives. She has also studied humanitarian policy and social vulnerability to climate change in Pakistan, where she has conducted fieldwork in Swat and Sindh, areas hard hit by the 2010 superfloods. She now specializes in post-conflict and post-crisis development, as well  as crisis preparedness and prevention, with a special focus on community policing and police reform. In 2015 she received funding from the EC Horizon 2020 research program for a five-year study of Community-Based Policing in Post-Conflict Police Reform. This is a global study of 11 case countries in Eastern Africa, South Asia, Central America and Eastern Europe, where she and her team of international researchers studied examples of alternative, non-militarized forms of policing which focus on trust-building, and broader understandings of security and well-being. Her research emphasizes participatory methods and co-production of knowledge with local communities, government agencies and civil society organizations. In 2022, she established the ICT4COP Center at NMBU, and is currently heading a project funded by the Norwegian Government on building competence in Norway on policing in conflict in Ukraine. In addition to her Master’s course in ‘Understanding Post-Conflict Police and Security Reform at NMBU, she is also an instructor in police capacity building at the NATO Stability Policing Center of Excellence (SPCoE), and the UN Center if Excellence for Stability Policing Units (CoESPU), both in Vicenza, Italy.

• Celia Dunster

  

  Cecilia Dunster is a retired senior police officer from the United Kingdom. She has served in command positions, led investigations and delivered projects across her service and region. The most challenging and satisfying aspect of her police career was her involvement in international policing. She served for two years in the United Nations Mission in South Sudan where she led the team that implemented community policing to the internally displaced people in the UN protection of civilian sites and to the South Sudan National Police Service, for which she was awarded a UN Highest Commendation. She also served in the NATO Mission in Afghanistan, working with senior police, police advisors and the Ministry of Interior on police reform and the development of policing services. She deployed with the UK Military during an exercise in Bosnia Herzegovina and was appointed deputy commander for a EUPST exercise in the Netherlands. Cecilia authored a paper on managing risk in a conflict environment, published by the Scottish Institute for Policing Research. She has presented at conferences and lectured to undergraduates, post-graduates and professional colleagues across the world. Following her retirement from the UK police she advised the Nepal Police on improving recruitment and retention of female police officers. Cecilia joined the Police Expert’s Network (PEN) in 2015 and has been a contributor throughout the Community-based Policing and Post Conflict Police Reform project. She is a member of the ICT4COP Centre Advisory Group and is currently supporting the community preparedness training. Cecilia has a master’s degree in Police Leadership and Management from the University of Leicester, UK.

• Tor Damkås

  

  Tor Damkås is a retired Police Superintendent at Norwegian Police University College, Oslo, Post  Graduate  Studies, responsible for International Civil Circes Management  Training: During his 45 years long career he mostly served in different rural areas on community oriented policing.   He conducted several international police reform missions, first in Bosnia and Herzegovina as a UN Police Officer in 1997-98.  Next mission was in Sierra Leone in 2002 serving as “Election Expert Police Adviser”.  Tor served twice in Afghanistan, 2005-06; Instructor and Police Advisor for  a bi-lateral Norwegian-Afghan project. In 2007 Tor was deployed to Ache province in Indonesia on a Norwegian – Indonesia bi-lateral police advising project on Human Rights.  He returned to  Afghanistan 2011-12 as a UNPOL Advisor for UNAMA where he was a member of different working groups involved with the Ministry of Interior’s work on re-organizing Afghan National Police. In 2012 he co-edited a “White Paper” on Afghan National Police. From  2015  till 2017Tor  was  part  time  deployed  as  a police representative from Ministry of  Justice and Security in Norway to a  bilateral mission of Legal Experts to Ukraine. Tor has also participated as a police member to the annual governmental “Norwegian-Indonesia Human Rights Dialogue” delegation three times 2009 -2010 and 2011. Tor Damkaas is a qualified trainer for both the UN Police Officers Course and the UN Gender and Sexual Based Violence course. Tor has conducted several pre-deployment courses for police peacekeepers (UNPOC) in Norway and abroad. From 2013 till retirement 2023  Tor was a member of an  international Management Team responsible for a 14 days annual course  “Senior Strategic Police Advisors Masterclass on Security Sector Reform” conducted at different locations in Europe and Canada.  Tor was active during the ICT4COP project application, was heading one of the work packages and was responsible for establishing and running the POLICE Experts Network as part of the ICT4COP research project.

• Jaishankar Ganapathy

  

  Jaishankar Ganapathy is a professor at the Norwegian Police University College in Oslo. He is a social anthropologist from the University of Oslo and has developed and is the course coordinator for Multicultural Understanding and Diversity and Understanding and Resolving Conflict in a Multicultural Society. He has also developed the course Policing and Diversity in English for undergraduate students at the university college.

  He also contributes to the police training course Fair and Equitable Policing. He was a senior researcher in the ICT4COP project, focusing on police education and training and youth-related issues.

  His research has focused primarily on Afghanistan, including community-oriented policing (COP) in Afghanistan, the Norwegian police contribution to Afghanistan, youth in Afghanistan, as well as broader assessments of community-oriented policing and police reform.

  Areas of interest: multicultural understanding, cultural encounters and professionalism, migration and development, conflict resolution, diversity, trust, and the recruitment of ethnic minorities into the police.

• Katarzyna Struzinska

  

  Katarzyna Struzińska, MA, is a researcher and teacher at the Department of Sociology of Law at the Faculty of Law and Administration of the Jagiellonian University in Kraków. Her research interests include police studies, community policing, police reform, international police cooperation, police culture, crime prevention, local security, and gender studies. She authored several research papers and conference presentations, and co-edited two academic volumes.

  Katarzyna has participated in several national and international research projects funded by the European Union, the National Science Centre, and Jagiellonian University. She was a researcher on the Horizon 2020 project ICT4COP: Community-Based Policing and Post-Conflict Police Reform, where she led field research in Bosnia and Herzegovina and supported research in Serbia. Between 2024 and 2026, she led the international research startup TechCOP: New Technologies in Community Policing. Katarzyna is an experienced academic teacher committed to innovative and student-centred teaching methods, with extensive national and international experience across diverse forms of academic instruction, including courses such as Police Science; Post-Conflict Police Reform in Practice; Civic Initiatives for Improving Public Safety and Public Order; and Techniques of Mediation and Negotiation in Public Administration.

We practice a "first-come, first-served" policy for applicants in each of the aforementioned target groups, to ensure a mix of participants in the sessions and group projects.

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