LGBTI equality and human rights in Europe and Central Asia

ILGA-Europe toolkit for training police officers on tackling LGBTI-phobic crime

This publication is about how to devise and implement training for police forces better to tackle LGBTI-phobic hate crime. Published in October 2011

Engaging with police forces and building confidence and concrete cooperation with law enforcement agencies often are key elements of successful strategies to combat homophobic and transphobic violence. For that reason, ILGA-Europe decided to provide its member and partner organisations with a dedicated ILGA-Europe toolkit for training police officers on tackling LGBTI-phobic crime on how to devise and implement training for police forces better to tackle LGBTI-phobic hate crime.

Since national and local contexts across Europe vary considerably, this Toolkit does not provide definitive answers to all questions that may arise in a given situation or specific local context. Each training project proposed by LGBTI organisations will have to take into consideration existing legislation, the structure of the police forces, authorities and/or police academies. Similarly, implementing training will depend largely upon actions undertaken to raise awareness within the police. Very often, it would also depend on the mobilisation of coalitions between well-chosen allies, including Human Rights and anti-discrimination NGOs, and sometimes some sectors of relevant public bodies such as equality bodies and ombudspersons.

Taking into account these limits, the present Toolkit provides useful methodological advice to accompany and support LGBTI organisations in their efforts towards establishing training partnerships with the police. ILGA-Europe remains available for further targeted advice for its members and partners who wish to set up training strategies and training sessions with police forces with the aim to tackle more efficiently LGBTI-phobic hate crime.

Download the training toolkit attached.
Download the training toolkit in large print attached.