The use of Multidisciplinary approach to Deconstruction of Stereotypes as a Component of Training Programs aimed at Establishing Cooperation between National Police Officers and Roma

The results of theoretical substantiation, practical development and testing of a multidisciplinary approach to deconstruction of stereotypes in the development of training programs aimed at improving mutual understanding and trust between the National Police and Roma communities to establish cooperation in security and crimes prevention issues are presented. The multidisciplinary approach was developed and tested within two projects implemented by the International Charitable Organization “Roma women fund “Chiricli” in 2019 and the NGO “Roma Human Rights Center” in 2021 in partnership with the Human Rights Department of the National Police of Ukraine. The overall goal of the projects was to ensure security, justice and attention to the needs of the Roma using practical measures that meet human rights standards; to establish a dialogue and mutual trust between police officers and Roma. Implementation of a multidisciplinary approach was based on the principles of adult education, which involve students in interpersonal interaction, activation of their critical thinking by turning to their own professional and personal experience; providing the necessary information on the mechanisms of ethnic and professional stereotypes, given the achievements of social and criminal psychology, research in the field of “poverty culture”, Roma mentality, ethnogenesis, cultural traditions and lifestyle as a way to preserve Roma identity as a traditional culture. Participants were also provided with information on current human rights issues, European standards of policing in the fight against hate crimes, and historical reasons of international attention to the rights of this group as a population that has repeatedly suffered from discrimination and genocide. The developed approach proved its effectiveness during the practical testing. It was also demonstrated that police officers’ lack of prejudice and stereotypical attitudes towards Roma and their understanding of Roma traditions, cultural characteristics and worldviews are a prerequisite for successful cooperation within the existing legal framework on security and crime prevention.