Training tools to help police and prosecutors tackle hate crime in focus at ODIHR event

Hate crimes remain a serious threat to security across the OSCE region, with the potential to escalate into wider conflict and violence. To support states in strengthening their criminal justice response, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) is relaunching its flagship hate crime training programmes for police and prosecutors.

At a side event of the Warsaw Human Dimension Conference, ODIHR presented the updated manuals for its Training Against Hate Crimes for Law Enforcement (TAHCLE) and Prosecutors and Hate Crimes Training (PAHCT). Both programmes build the skills of practitioners to identify, investigate and prosecute hate crimes, and have already been implemented many countries across the region.

“Today we are giving police and prosecutors the tools they need to spot and tackle hate crime,” said ODIHR First Deputy Director Tea Jaliashvili. “Building on years of experience, these practical manuals will help support victims and strengthen justice.”

Drawing on 20 years of training law enforcement and prosecutors, the new materials give direct access to the right knowledge and skills, helping states develop their own national programmes. The event also featured national experiences, showcasing lessons learned and the impact of tailored training to build stronger responses to hate crime.