Participating States have to do more to combat discrimination in policing and police violence against Roma and Sinti, say participants at OSCE/ODIHR event

Current human rights challenges in policing Roma and Sinti communities in the OSCE region were the focus of an event organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) during the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw on 30 September 2015.

Participants stressed that prejudice and negative stereotypes against Roma and Sinti are still widespread among law-enforcement officers in the OSCE area, resulting in discrimination in policing and disproportionate or excessive use of force by police.

"The police play an important role in ensuring the protection and promotion of human rights," said Mirjam Karoly, ODIHR Senior Advisor on Roma and Sinti Issues. "Therefore, investment in improving trust and confidence among the police and Roma and Sinti communities is crucial to combating racism and discrimination."

Repressive police practices, coupled with lack of effective and prompt investigation and prosecution of crimes against Roma, contributes to deep distrust among Roma and Sinti towards the police and the criminal justice system in general.

"Criminal cases against police representatives suspected of violence against Roma remain under investigation for very long periods of time, which blatantly violates the standards set by the European Court of Human Rights, related to the duty of the state authorities to conduct thorough and effective investigation within a reasonable time," said Oana Taba from the Romanian NGO Romani Criss.  "Investigations in such cases can be flawed, very often lacking the racial motivation of the perpetrator."

The participants also discussed recent police practices and operations targeting Roma and Sinti and their communities.

"The inhabitants of the concerned areas, mostly Roma, were intimidated and harassed by the practice of  raid-like joint control activities in segregated Roma settlements by local government authorities in co-ordination with local police," said Szalayné Sándor, the Deputy Commissioner for Fundamental Rights of Hungary. "These practices are incompatible with the principle of the rule of law and the requirement of legal certainty."

Participants also discussed working examples of co-operation between police and civil society and underlined that policing should be based on prevention, partnership and problem-solving to enhance safety of the community.