Police trained against Discrimination in Czech Republic

Over 1,000 Czech police officers have been trained against discrimination by various NGO activists. The seminars were to narrow the gap between the world of the police and residents of socially excluded localities such as Romas. The anti-discrimination seminars have been held at all regional police offices in the Czech Republic since February 2007. Members of various parts of the police such as teachers, instructors and police men have been trained. 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, said Interior Minister Ivan Langer. This is to be achieved by the project of the police academy in Holesov, called Police for Everyone. The first students of Romany, Vietnamese and Ukrainian ethnic origin will start the studies this September. Minister for Human Rights and Minorities, Dzamila Stehlikova, said the anti-discrimination schooling of the police and the support to policy academy students from ethnic minorities will have good influence on both groups. “A trained police officer can surmount the cultural barriers and establish respect for the system and men of the law and order among the people from excluded localities,” Stehlikova said. Anti-discrimination issues will soon be part of basic training courses for all police employees.