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Polish cops must pass tolerance test

PR dla Zagranicy
Peter Gentle 24.10.2011 12:16
Poland’s police force is engaged in a nationwide campaign to promote tolerance within its ranks, with officers being required to pass written tests to ascertain how open they are to gays and those from different ethnicities.

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The initiative is part of the police force’s preparations for the Euro 2012 football championships next year.

Long-serving officers are obliged to participate in workshops, while new recruits must undertake a 60-question test aimed at gauging their open-mindedness on issues such as racial and sexual minorities.

Questions that new recruits must answer – as of June this year - range across many issues.

“What do you think about gender equality?” is one example.

“How would you react if someone you work with tells you that they are of a different sexual orientation?” reads another.

A manual on human rights has also been distributed among the force.

“More and more immigrants live in Poland,” reflected Deputy Inspector Gerard Bah, one of the members of the team that formulated the test, in an interview with the Gazeta Wyborcza daily.

“There are many cases where prejudice can play a key role,” he said, acknowledging that, “there had been complaints that policemen had maltreated people of a different sexual orientation.”

Deputy Inspector Bah revealed that not all new recruits pass the test.

“We have had candidates who, when asked about their attitudes towards the Roma community, answered: they're all thieves.”

On the workshops for older officers, Deputy Inspector Bah noted that Euro 2012 was an important factor in quickening the pace of change, as “people of different nationalities and cultures will be coming to Poland.” (nh/pg)

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