OSCE Mission, ODIHR train Kosovo Police and civil society organizations on hate crime

Twenty-three Kosovo Police officers and representatives of civil society organizations took part in the OSCE Mission in Kosovo and Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) Training against Hate Crime for Law Enforcement (TAHCLE), held from 14 to 16 December 2022.

TAHCLE is designed to improve police skills in recognizing, understanding and investigating hate crimes. It adds to the abilities of police officers to better prevent and respond to hate crimes, interact effectively with victim communities, and build public confidence and co-operation with law enforcement agencies.

The three-day Training-of-Trainers focused on the impact of bias crimes on affected communities, hate crime laws, and dignified treatment of victims during all legal proceedings. Participants further increased their knowledge about the role of police, support to victims and recording of such crimes, and were also equipped with training skills to cascade the knowledge to their colleagues and continue enhancing capacities for a better response to hate crimes.

Lieutenant Bahri Bylykbashi, Head of the Coordination, Administration and Training Support Unit at the Kosovo Police said, “We were very happy to have this training brought to the Kosovo Police and enhance our capacity in the investigation of hate-bias events. As a police official, it is important to train my colleagues to look further while investigating and identify if there are bias indicators/motivations. As the policing environment evolves, our staff must remain aware that the best community is diverse and we must remain conscious of the nuances of that diversity.”

Speaking about the impact of the training, Rajmonda Sylbije, Program Director of the non-governmental organization Centre for Social Group Development (CSGD) said, “As one of the participants from civil society, I cannot begin to tell you how valuable the training, materials and resources have been to me. It was also valuable as it brought together the Kosovo Police officers of different ranks and civil society organizations. I know that I alone cannot change the world but I can strive to be an agent of social change and have an impact on one person at a time. The training is an invaluable tool to combat and address hate crimes and hate incidents and helps me to make positive changes within my community.”

The OSCE Mission in Kosovo is mandated to protect and promote human and community rights, as well as democratization and public safety sector development. It remains committed to supporting institutions in improving the recording, responding and preventing of hate crimes.