SEMINAR 'POLICE AND HUMAN RIGHTS' STARTS IN ZAGREB

SEMINAR 'POLICE AND HUMAN RIGHTS' STARTS IN ZAGREB ZAGREB, Oct 5 (Hina) - "Police and Human Rights", a two-day seminar organised by the Council of Europe, started at the Croatian Interior Ministry on Thursday. The meeting, which will include lectures by domestic and Council of Europe experts on human rights protection, is aimed at acquainting police officers with European achievements in the protection and exercising of human rights in everyday police activities. The head of the Croatian Police Academy, Petar Veic, said the Croatian police were at a cross-roads because of lack of complete regulations in police work. He added the new law on police would support legal solutions and corrections regarding human rights. "Citizens deserve police conduct which respects human dignity so that police officers could enjoy trust in society," Veic said, emphasising the importance of inter-ethnic tolerance. The president of the Council of Europe's general directorate for human rights, Anita Hasenberg, said the directorate's experience over the past four years showed the police were violating human rights in all countries, and added it was necessary to work on preventing such conduct. The duty of every police officer is to mark and identify the types of behaviour which violate human rights and apply the highest standards in their everyday activities, Hasenberg said. She called on the Croatian police to join a new Council of Europe programme to be launched late this year focusing on the prevention of violence against women and police support in peace operations. Participants in the seminar were today able to see a half-an-hour documentary on police and human rights. (hina) rml