Law enforcement agencies are underprepared to fight hate crime. As General Prosecutor’s Office crime statistics grow (65 and 835 cases prosecuted in 2007 and 2013, respectively), their detectability plummets, the public notified of bizarre reasons for case dismissal or acquittal of perpetrators of evidently prejudice-based acts. Also, findings of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (2013) prove that over one-half of hate crime victims do not trust the police.
The project purpose was to raise police staff determination to become more effective in prosecuting hate crime through a system of training courses for management staff.
A training programme for the police was drafted, and 197 police officers were trained. Ten history-and-antidiscrimination workshops (250 h) were delivered. The curriculum blended Holocaust-related knowledge with social psychology sections, and legal and operational knowledge of fighting hate crime. In an in-depth analysis of the Holocaust interpreted as genocide resulting from state policy based on anti-Semitic discrimination, participants improved their professional knowledge and became more sensitive to consequences of hate-driven behaviour. Hate crime fighting competencies were improved thanks to a dedicated module delivered by a police expert in the field. External project assessment proved that over 98% attendants found the workshop to be valuable to their police work. Over one-half pointed to improved knowledge of the history of the Holocaust and Auschwitz and of social psychology; 32.4% declared further knowledge expansion in self-delivered workshops and talks with subordinates. Deferred project effectiveness evaluation proved continued training impact on graduate attitudes.
Project beneficiaries included central- and local-level police management staff (197 persons).
The project partner (Central Police Headquarters) was responsible for recruiting participants, consulting on curriculum topics, and preserving the project’s high-rank status.