OSCE launches Hungarian version of guide on building trust between police and Roma

The Hungarian version of an OSCE manual on good practices in building trust and understanding between police and Roma and Sinti communities was launched at a seminar hosted by the Interior Ministry of Hungary in Budapest on 8 November 2011.

The Manual on Police and Roma and Sinti: Good practices in building trust and understanding was developed by the OSCE Strategic Police Matters Unit (SPMU) and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) to assist participating States in improving relations between the police and Roma and Sinti communities.

“This manual shows how building trust and understanding is the best way to induce positive changes in the everyday interaction between police and the Roma community,” said Andrzej Mirga, ODIHR’s Senior Adviser on Roma and Sinti Issues. “Good relations between police and Roma communities are crucial for the overall goal of combating racial discrimination and violence against Roma.”

He noted that increasing the representation of Roma in the police forces is among the most effective measures, adding that Hungary already has some achievements and good practice to share regarding this.

The launch was followed by a seminar in which representatives from the SPMU, several ministries, police structures and non-governmental organizations discussed positive examples and existing challenges in the relations between police and Roma as well as good practices in identifying and investigating hate crimes, and police education.

The event was a follow-up to recommendations made by ODIHR in a field report released last year on violent incidents against Roma in Hungary.