Indicator history

The US State Department reports that the police reform continued in 2010: "...the police increased the hiring of women and minorities. According to police statistics, at the end of the year 12 percent of the 54,786-person police force were women and 1.2 percent, including 104 Roma, represented members of ethnic minorities. A project to promote equal opportunities for national minorities for a career in the police structures was implemented in Cluj during the year. Police also used Romani mediators to facilitate communication between Roma and the authorities and to assist in crises. A handbook, Police and Roma/Sinti Population: Good Practices in Building Trust and Understanding, was published during the year as a tool for the implementation of the Action Plan for Roma and Sinti of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)." [1]

However, the Report also quotes NGOs that criticize police intervention in combating hate crimes, such as: The Center for Monitoring Anti-Semitism in Romania "asserted that police investigations of ... [vandalisation of Jewish establishments] were not thorough. (...) Romani groups complained that police brutality, including beatings and harassment, was routine. (...) Several members reported that police and gendarmerie raids took place in public places known to be meeting areas for gay men, and that police behavior was abusive. " [2]

Source:

1. US State Department, 2010 Human Rights Report. Romania, Section 1.d, available at http://romania.usembassy.gov/2010_rhr_en.html (accessed on 14.02.2012)

2. US State Department, 2010 Human Rights Report. Romania, Section 6, available at http://romania.usembassy.gov/2010_rhr_en.html(accessed on 14.02.2012)