Guidebook
Several NHRIs have conducted training activities for police officers. For
example, the Croatian and Austrian NHRIs have provided training on the
protection of human rights for police officers.333
Austria
The Austrian NHRI has prepared materials for police training.334 The
manual explains the Austrian Ombudsman Board´s (AOB) mandates and
gives examples where they relate to the area of policing; examples given
on procedural rights are especially the right to information (eg, information in understandable language and format; possibility to contact
a person of trust or a lawyer) and translation/interpretation (eg, availability of interpreters).
WAYS TO PROMOTE CHANGE
Another tool used by NHRIs to raise awareness is the participation in conferences and workshops.
Poland
The Polish Commissioner has repeatedly been drawing attention in
many conferences to the fact that the Letter of Rights is drafted incomprehensively and thus violates the right to information and the right of
access to a lawyer.336
3.5.
Engaging with EU law and procedures
PARIS PRINCIPLES
Research shows that trainings are likely to be more appreciated and effective when integrated into the curriculum of e.g. the police academies and
when it provided practical assistance to officials the information is more
likely to be appreciated. A successful type of training is to provide police
with new investigative skills as opposed to listing prohibitions.335 Accordingly, NHRIs should strive to include such trainings in the police academies
curriculum. In the past, the Lithuanian NHRI has also used an online format
for police training, where police could register online for human rights
focused courses.
The target group of trainings and capacity building is and should not be
limited to law enforcement officials. Also when it comes to strengthening
procedural rights in the criminal proceedings, numerous other actors play
an utmost important role. Thus trainings could also be provided (jointly)
to criminal justice actors such as bar associations and lawyers, interpreters and translators, doctors etc. Lithuania provides an interesting example
where capacity building and trainings are provided for law students.
3(b) To promote and ensure the harmonization of national legislation, regulations and practices with the international human rights
instruments to which the State is a party, and their effective implementation;
3(d) To contribute to the reports which States are required to submit (…) to regional institutions, pursuant to their treaty obligations
and, where necessary, to express an opinion on the subject, with
due respect for their independence;
3.5.1.
Engaging in the European Union Law in the legislative process
EU procedures offer various ways to engage and consult relevant stakeholders, including NHRIs and NHRIs networks. NHRIs could make use of
these avenues to promote procedural safeguards already in the legislative
process at the EU level.
Lithuania
The Lithuanian NHRI conducts training on human rights for law students, specializing in international law. Additionally, within a separate
programme, students prepared an NPM check-list, which was then
reviewed by the NHRI and used in prisons.
78
The EU ordinary legislative procedure requires the Commission to submit
a proposal to the European Parliament and Council. The Commission is
obliged to engage with citizens and ‘maintain an open, transparent and
regular dialogue with representative associations and civil society’.337 In
this context to prepare a legislative proposal, it can carry out consulta-
79
Select target paragraph3
Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents