OSCE/ODIHR hosts training-of-trainers event as part of Training Against Hate Crimes for Law Enforcement (TAHCLE)

Eighteen highly experienced trainers and police officers from 13 OSCE participating States gathered in Warsaw from 23 to 25 July 2014 as part of a training-of-trainers event, organized by the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). The training was provided as part of ODIHR’s Training Against Hate Crimes for Law Enforcement (TAHCLE) programme, and builds on a 2012 event held together with the Association of European Police Colleges in Lyon, and was organized with their support.

The training familiarized participants with the concept of hate crime, relevant legislation, strategies for investigation and responding to these crimes, and discussed the skills necessary for training cadets and police officers. The goal is to prepare the participants to share this knowledge with their peers back home.

“The skills and commitment on the part of these trainers is vital to the success of the TAHCLE programme, as it is not only about passing on knowledge and building on skills, but also about changing attitudes among trainees,” said Floriane Hohenberg, Head of the Tolerance and Non-Discrimination Department at ODIHR. “This event will enlarge our core group of TAHCLE trainers.”

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.

“This is a very valuable exchange of experiences, as we all come from different backgrounds, from police officers to interior ministry officials and policy academy professors,” said Wirginia Prejs, Team Co-ordinator in the Polish Ministry of the Interior’s Human Rights Protection Team. “I’m learning a lot from this training, and I will return to my ministry with new ideas for training and anti-racism campaigns.”

TAHCLE is part of ODIHR's continued assistance to OSCE participating States in their efforts to build the capacity of law enforcement agencies to prevent and responding to hate crime. The programme is currently being offered in five participating States: Bulgaria, Croatia, Italy, Poland and Ukraine. The programme is also being implemented in Kosovo.