Czech Republic: Roma police officer recruitment program, including the number of Roma police officers in service (2009-2010)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Publication Date | 2 March 2011 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | CZE103683.E |
| Related Document(s) | République tchèque : information sur le programme de recrutement de policiers roms, y compris le nombre de policiers roms en service (2009-2010) |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Czech Republic: Roma police officer recruitment program, including the number of Roma police officers in service (2009-2010), 2 March 2011, CZE103683.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4dd219fe2.html [accessed 2 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Police training
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) notes on its online policing information system that, since the Czech Republic was admitted to the organization in 1993, there are between 8,000 to 10,000 graduates from police colleges every year, 7,000 to 8,000 police officers graduating from annual training programs held in nine training centres, and 2,400 students in the Police Academy (OSCE 15 Jan. 2007). The European Police College (CEPOL), an agency of the European Union (EU), lists the following police colleges for the Czech Republic:
- Police College of the Ministry of the Interior in Prague;
- Police Academy of the Czech Republic in Prague;
- Police College of the Ministry of the Interior in Brno; and
- the Police Training Colleges of Ministry of Interior in Pardubice and Jihlava (EU 2011).
Police recruitment of ethnic minorities
In 16 February 2011 correspondence with the Research Directorate, the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Ottawa noted that, after a campaign was launched in 2006 to inform minorities about potential employment in the Police of the Czech Republic, the Police have continued to recruit "people from ethnic minorities under the umbrella of the 'Help and Protect' (Pomáhat a chránit) recruitment campaign launched at the beginning of 2008" (Czech Republic 16 Feb. 2011a). The Ministry of the Interior is also continuing efforts to support minority employment in the Police of the Czech Republic, "under the umbrella of the project of the Secondary Police School of the Ministry of the Interior in Holeov" (ibid.). The project, called 'The Police for All' (Policie pro vechny), was implemented in the 2008/2009 academic year and enables "people with minority backgrounds to acquire a Secondary Police School leaving exam, which would then prepare them for joining the Police of the Czech Republic" (ibid.).
As of February 2011, enrolment numbers for the Police College in Holeov show that there are five students who voluntarily indicated their Roma ethnicity (ibid.). A member of the Ministry of Interior's International Police Education and Training Unit indicated in correspondence with the Research Directorate that these numbers are only of students enrolled in the 'Police for All' program (ibid. 16 Feb. 2011b). He also mentioned that a precondition of the program is that students identify to which "ethnic minority they belong" (ibid.). According to the same source, "[t]here might be more Roma students in the police colleges of the Czech Republic"; however, no numbers are available because the government does not allow data on ethnic background to be collected (ibid.).
Number of Roma police officers in the Czech Republic
According to the Embassy of the Czech Republic, "[t]here are no statistics" available on the number of Roma police officers currently on duty in the Czech Republic (Czech Republic 16 Feb. 2011a). The member of the International Police Education and Training Unit also notes that this type of statistical data cannot be kept (ibid. 16 Feb. 2011b).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Czech Republic. 16 February 2011a. Embassy of the Czech Republic, Ottawa. Correspondence with an official.
_____. 16 February 2011b. International Police Education and Training Unit, Department of Police Education Training and Police Colleges, Ministry of the Interior. Correspondence with an official.
European Union (EU). 2011. European Police College (CEPOL). "Police Colleges in the EU."
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). 15 January 2007. "Policing Profiles of Participating and Partner States: Czech Republic." Country Profiles.
Additional Sources Consulted
Oral sources: A professor from the Social Anthropology Department at the University of Pardubice; the Director of the Ministry of Regional Development of the Czech Republic; representatives from the Czech Roma NGOs DROM, romské stredisko; Občanské sdruení RomPraha pomáhá pri príprave projektu; Občanské sdruení SLOVO 21; and Romodrom did not respond within the time constraints of this Response. Representatives from the European Commission's Directorates General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion and for Regional Policy were unable to provide information for this Response. A Romani studies researcher at the University of Greenwich and a professor of Roma studies at the University of Montreal were unable to provide information for this Response.
Internet sites, including: Aktuálnĕ [Prague]; Amnesty International (AI); Bílý kruh bezpečí (BKB); Ceske Noviny [Prague]; Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights; Czech Republic - Ministry of the Interior; Dzeno Association; European Roma Grassroots Organisations Network (ERGO); European Roma Information Office (ERIO); European Network Against Racism (ENAR); European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC); Factiva; Police of the Czech Republic; Prague Daily Monitor; Romea.cz [Prague]; Roma Virtual Network (RVN); United Nations (UN) Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights; Refworld; United States (US) Department of State.
