Representatives of the Association participated in the training seminar "Strengthening the security of religious and other communities in the regions of Ukraine"

On January 20-21, 2016, a two-day training seminar on the topic "Strengthening the Security of Religious and Other Communities in the Regions of Ukraine" was held at the Department of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, which is taking place within the framework of the project on freedom of religion and combating hate crimes with the participation of representatives of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR). Members of our Association actively participated in the event.

The foreign delegation included experts from Great Britain, Russia and Ukraine, namely: Davis Peter Robert, Derin Okonor, Olanrevaju Olomouc, Yulia Korysheva and Tetyana Korshikova.

The event was opened with an introductory speech by the Head of the Association of Scientists and Specialists in the Field of Operational and Investigative Activities, Doctor of Law, Professor Colonel of Police Oleksandr Korystin. He welcomed the guests, participants of the event and, in particular, noted: “On the initiative of our partners, good colleagues and friends from the OSCE, we are starting a seminar today, because this topic is extremely important for the development of civil society in Ukraine.” Oleksandr Yevgeniyovych also noted that such a joint event will provide an opportunity to communicate with foreign colleagues, listen to their proposals for solving existing problems in this area and adopt certain experience that the seminar participants will be able to pass on to their Ukrainian colleagues.

It is worth noting that the seminar is aimed at developing the knowledge and skills of the police to ensure a more effective response to hate crimes. The overall goal is to provide trainers with the necessary tools to conduct training for police officers, in particular: to recognize hate crimes and understand their causes, as well as the consequences for victims; to understand and be able to apply the relevant legislation; to acquire skills and apply them in practice to respond to and investigate hate crimes, as well as to increase the level of awareness of police officers regarding their official duties.

We would like to remind you that this time the training was attended by police officers and trainers from the Odessa region, as well as the cities of Mykolaiv, Kherson, Vinnytsia, Cherkasy, etc. Upon completion of the two-day training seminar, the participants of the training will receive international OSCE certificates.