BEIRUT: Top legal and law enforcement officials signed into effect a new criminal investigation guide Friday, in a bid to better equip the Internal Security Forces and judiciary to conduct investigations without violating civil liberties, while improving cooperation between the two bodies.

“The importance of this guide lies in the rights and obligations it defines, as well as the mutual relations between security forces on one hand, and with judicial authorities on the other,” said ISF commander Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi in a speech at the launching of the guide at the security training complex at Rafik Hariri International Airport.

ISF officers and members of the judiciary will be required to adhere to the “Practical Guide for Criminal Investigation,” which Rifi said provides “law-oriented and citizen-oriented measures that take into account the right of defense.”

The launching of the guide was accompanied by the graduation of ISF members who completed a project funded by the Delegation of the European Union to Lebanon.

Nearly two dozen ISF personnel received a diploma from E.U. officers, who trained the ISF personnel for more than a year under the Security and Rule of Law project. The officers also staged a live demonstration at the graduation.

While the SAROL project will continues to provide training for ISF personnel and judges alike, another project entitled “Achieving Security and Stability” is set to kick off in the first quarter of 2012.

Rifi, State Prosecutor Saeed Mirza and E.U. Ambassador Angelina Eichhorst vowed to continue their cooperation toward the improvement of the rule of law in Lebanon.

“I strongly welcome the signing of the Practical Guide for Criminal Investigation by both State Prosecutor and the ISF commander,” said Eichhorst, adding that the agreement is a positive example of inter-institutional work.

Eichhorst said that the adoption of the guide would not be the end of the project and that its success would depend on further training and a commitment from the ISF and the judiciary.

Mirza said that judges in the country will need additional training to be ready to carry out elements of the guideline.

“When the judges receive the proper training, they will all be asked to follow the guideline and strengthen their cooperation with the ISF,” he said.

Mirza also praised the year-long training of the ISF personnel and said that justice would not be served without the members of the ISF who risk their lives.

“It is true that justice is a result of judges and lawyers, but the unknown officer needs to be in the formula of justice,” said Mirza.

According to Mirza, the improvement of criminal investigation in Lebanon will require a frequent training of the ISF and the judiciary.

“Amid all this globalization, crime has improved significantly and criminals have managed to find easier means to communicate.”

The E.U. ambassador also said that the E.U. is ready to provide additional support to the ISF and the Justice Ministry to have a bigger impact on the country’s security and the rule of law.

Rifi also mentioned that another project funded by the E.U. and the U.S. would see the ISF gain a special academy in the Mount Lebanon town of Aramoun to train dozens of ISF personnel each year.

“Construction [of the academy] is expected to start in the coming months,” he added.

On the sidelines of the event, Rifi told The Daily Star that the the restructuring and the improvement of the ISF had began and would continue.

“This won’t be the last project ... similar projects will follow,” said Rifi.

Labored cooperation between the ISF and judiciary coupled with a lack of advanced investigative techniques have contributed to overcrowding in the country’s prisons, as thousands of suspects and detainees await trial.