Project: “Capacity building of the police officers working in multi-ethnic environment, including Roma communities and prevention of ill-treatment by the police”
Implemented in: Sofia: Kazanlak, Kazanlak Municipality, District Stara Zagora: Pazardzhik, Pazardzhik Municipality, District Pazardzhik
Program: Home Affairs
Implementation period: 07.10.2020 – 07.10.2023
Lead organisation: Academy of the Ministry of Interior (Academy of MoI)
Project summary:
The project is aimed at prevention and reduction of violation of human rights by the police while acting in a multi-ethnic environment, with special focus on the Roma population, enhancing the police officers’ skills in working with Roma, including in relation to addressing issues related to their safety and security, and in full compliance with human rights standards prevention of domestic violence, trafficking in human beings in Roma community and prevention of ill-treatment by the police.
The target group of the project are cadets in the Academy of the Ministry of Interior (MoI) and MoI employees: police officers working in multi-ethnic environment, with emphasis of the Roma population and other vulnerable groups; police officers authorized to work as community police officers, cadets and police officers passing training at the Academy.
The results will have positive impact on society and in particular on persons belonging to a multi-ethnical and multicultural environment, including Roma population as it will lead to the prevention of crimes and reduction of human rights violations by police officers.
More information about the project could be found here: https://www.mvr.bg/docs/librariesprovider61/default-document-library/%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B7%D1%8E%D0%BC%D0%B5-en.pdf?sfvrsn=dd091915_0
Grant amount: 630 000 EUR
Contact: Ms Dessislava Dragova
email: DDragova@mvr.bg
phone: +35929829371
address: 1715, Sofia, № 1 Aleksandar Malinov Blvd.
“When you show patience and a good attitude, you get the same, and this does not apply only to the work with the Roma. We need to build a zone of trust – a person feels safe to share and is confident that we will help him”, Yana Veleva and Kalina share Velikova, who are in the IV year at the Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. They are among the more than 1,800 employees and trainees who have undergone special training for working in a multi-ethnic environment, including in Roma communities. The biggest challenge, according to them, is that a large part of the Roma cannot read and write, so it is necessary to explain it to them more calmly. They believe that if an atmosphere is created in which the Roma feel good, they will cooperate, which will facilitate their activities and lead to positive results. The girls are convinced that what they have learned will help them in their future work – they both want to become investigative police officers. The trainings are part of the project.
