Facts about Slovakia

1
Facts about Slovakia

• Population is 5 500 000
• The size of Roma population is around 350 000
• 400 000 people
• More then 130 000 Roma living in more then 620
  Roma settlements
• Unemployment rate of Roma approach 100 in the
  East Slovakia

2
Police Specialists for the Work with Communities
Phases of the Project

• 1. Set up the special working group - 2004
• ?
• 2. The Pilot Project
• ? ? ?
• Preparation Implementation Evaluation
• 2004 2005
  2006
• ?
• 3. To get into a routine policing of the police
  specialists - 2007

3
The aims of the Pilot Project

• To improve relations between Roma
• and police
• To adopt Roma settlements by the police
• specialists
• to built confidence in the police among Roma
• communities
• To help Roma have equal access to
• every opportunity offered by local authority
• To increase legal awareness of Roma
• people and of the police officers
• To provide Roma with useful information and
• advice

4
Preparation of the Pilot Project

• 1. Selection of the regions ? East of Slovakia
• 2. Selection of the police officers ? set up
  criteria
• 3. To establish a new police position ?
• Police Specialist for the Work with Communities
• 4. Police Specialists Training ? aims of the
  training

5
Strategies of the Pilot Project

• Regularly being on the beat (settlement)
• Contacts and cooperation with mayors, members of
  city councils, social workers, local Roma
  authorities, Roma activists, NGOs
  representatives
• To take part in city councils meetings and
  participate in solving various problems related
  to Roma
• To solve problems occurred in the settlements
• To maintain the public order in the area of the
  settlement
• To take part in questioning suspected Roma
• To provide Roma with advice

6
Evaluation of the Pilot Project - Results

• Cooperation between police and Roma is felt to be
  fruitful in order to achieve long term positive
  change it is necessary to continue the project
• Satisfaction with the police specialists policing
  in the Roma settlements resulted to the demand to
  increase the number of the police specialists
• Reduction of the disturbances and small offences
• Increasing the cooperation between police and
  local authorities

7
Visions

• To get into a routine policing of the police
  specialists
• To increase a number of the police specialists
  from 18 to 118
• To rise the police specialist to the rank of
  lower level police officer
• To set up the police specialists in every region
  of Slovakia in accordance with police and
  regional demands