The factsheet lists key recommendations made by ECRI to the Council of Europe member states for tackling racism and intolerance within law enforcement agencies. ECRI regularly stresses the vital role of law enforcement agencies in preventing and combating racism and intolerance. However, it also recognises that instances of racist and LGBTI-phobic abuse on the part of law enforcement officials tarnish the profession of and jeopardise the work of those who comply with police ethics and the law. ECRI therefore calls on governments to take action to prevent and combat racism and intolerance within law enforcement agencies.

According to ECRI, authorities should actively seek to recruit law enforcement officials with a minority or migration background to ensure that diversity within law enforcement agencies reflects diversity of the general population. Law enforcement officials should follow human rights training and awareness-raising courses, as well as exchange good practices in the field of combating racism and intolerance in policing.

ECRI considers that a framework for dialogue and co-operation between law enforcement officials and members of groups of concern to ECRI should be established. ECRI underlines that racial profiling practices should be defined and prohibited by law. ECRI also regularly recommends that specific trainings concerning this topic are organised for law enforcement officials.

ECRI also emphasises that all racist and intolerant behaviour on the part of law enforcement officials should be publicly and unequivocally condemned. The authorities should ensure effective and independent investigations into all allegations of misconduct by law enforcement officials, followed by, where appropriate, effective and proportionate sanctions against perpetrators. They should also make public statistical data on disciplinary and judicial investigations concerning police abuse.

The factsheet provides an overview of the recommendations made by ECRI in its fourth-, fifth- and sixth-cycle country reports since 2008. These recommendations aim to ensure effective protection of the members of groups in vulnerable situations from police abuse, to establish trust between the law enforcement agencies and groups of concern to ECRI as well as to ensure better police accountability. This factsheet is meant to be a tool supplementing ECRI’s General Policy Recommendation No. 11 on combating racism and racial discrimination in policing and ECRI’s statement on racist police abuse, including racial profiling, and systemic racism.