OSCE/ODIHR workshop instructs police trainers on countering hate crime
The vital role played by trainers in strengthening law enforcement officers’ capacity to respond effectively to hate crime was at the centre of a three-day workshop held in Warsaw from 22 to 24 July 2015. This training-of-trainers event, organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in co-operation with the Association of European Police Colleges, is part of ODIHR's efforts to enhance its Training Against Hate Crime for Law Enforcement (TAHCLE) programme.
Law enforcement officers are often the first point of contact for victims of hate crime. Ensuring that they have the necessary skills and tools to effectively respond to and investigate hate crime is essential to countering bias-motivated violence and incidents. Sixteen participants from 11 countries studied TAHCLE's curriculum, which emphasizes ODIHR's approach to hate crime and helps provide law enforcement with effective methods to respond. The training-of-trainers workshop also focused on teaching techniques.
"With this workshop, we are enhancing our capacity to train law enforcement personnel across the OSCE region. The skills that these participants are honing here will ensure that they are ready to help participating States interested in implementing TAHCLE," said Cristina Finch, head of ODIHR's Tolerance and Non-Discrimination Department. "With their diverse backgrounds and deep substantive knowledge, the trainers that come out of this workshop will play a central part in our efforts to ensure that our training programmes are tailored to local realities, no matter where they are implemented."
TAHCLE is based on the premise that dealing effectively with hate crimes involves police as proactive agents of change. It draws on the OSCE participating States’ experiences in confronting hate crimes and the achievements of law enforcement agencies in addressing the problem. The programme is underway in Bulgaria, Croatia, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro and Poland. It is also being implemented in Kosovo.