Czech Republic: NGOS train police in human rights

Over 1,000 Czech police officers have been trained against discrimination by social workers and NGO activists. The seminars of the People in Need and the Consultancy Centre for Citizenship, Civic and Human Rights are aimed at narrowing the gap between the world of the police and residents of socially excluded localities such as Romanies, said Interior Minister Ivan Langer. "Anti-discrimination should soon become part of basic training of all the police", he added.

The anti-discrimination seminars have been held at all regional police offices in the Czech Republic since last February. They have trained members of various parts of the police as well as teachers and instructors of police academies and training centres. The police corps wants to have not only its members able to understand and deal with people from various minorities without any problems, but also hire new members hailing directly from the minorities, Langer said.

This is to be achieved by the project of the police academy in Holesov, South Moravia, called Police for Everyone. The first students of Romany, Vietnamese and Ukrainian ethnic origin will start the studies this September, Langer said.
The Minister for Human Rights and Minorities Dzamila Stehlikova (Greens) said the anti-discrimination schooling of the police and support to policy academy students from ethnic minorities had good influence on both groups. "A trained police officer can surmount the cultural barrier and establish respect for the system and men of the law and order among the people from excluded localities," Stehlikova said.

The project Anti-Discrimination Education of Police of the Czech Republic has lasted 15 months. It has been sponsored by the EU and the foundation Open Society Fund. So far, some 1100 police have been trained within it.

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