Samara police officers are taught tolerance

The Samara branch of the Saratov Law Institute is holding seminars for police officers as part of a Russian-British project. Law enforcement officers are taught tolerance and proper communication with representatives of ethnic minorities.

The regional authorities are concerned about the growing number of conflicts on ethnic grounds, in which police officers often become participants. According to Nadezhda Osipova, chief specialist on ethno-national issues of the administration of the Samara region, "the Samara region was considered the most stable" , but "recently, sociologists have recorded xenophobia, ethnophobia in people . "

According to the organizers of the seminar, the main reason for the intolerance of law enforcement officers towards representatives of ethnic minorities is that law enforcement officers do not know the traditions and peculiarities of their way of life.

In the classroom, police officers are told about the experience of England in resolving "ethnic" issues. Thus, every British police officer carries with him a handbook containing information about the customs and behavioral stereotypes of different ethnic groups, which allows them to "settle various problems with their representatives without conflict . "

In Samara, by the end of 2005, it is planned to publish a similar reference book entitled "What should a policeman know about the ethnic groups and religions of the Samara Territory?". However, the circulation is intended for distribution only to the heads of departments, who will be charged with the duty to teach tolerance lessons to their subordinates. The regional administration hopes that the guides will help prevent most conflicts on ethnic grounds.

Sources

• Ishkov S. Samara police officers are destroying stereotypes // Russian courier. 2005. March 22.