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Reducing Ethnic Profiling in the European Union - Open Society ...

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Plan 2008–2010 which sets out challenges and policy <strong>in</strong>itiatives <strong>in</strong> multiple areas.The component elements of a strategic action plan have also been put to creative use<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Ne<strong>the</strong>rlands, where <strong>the</strong> highly decentralized nature of Dutch law enforcementmeans that national government control has been very limited (structural changes <strong>in</strong>troduced<strong>in</strong> 2011 are reduc<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> number of forces <strong>in</strong> The Ne<strong>the</strong>rlands). In response, <strong>the</strong>National Diversity Expertise Centre (LECD) developed a self-evaluation tool with a cashprize for <strong>the</strong> w<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g law enforcement service.IRELANDNational Action Plan Aga<strong>in</strong>st RacismIreland’s National Action Plan Aga<strong>in</strong>st Racism (NPAR) was implemented between2005 and 2008. The plan def<strong>in</strong>ed racism as: “a specific form of discrim<strong>in</strong>ation andexclusion faced by m<strong>in</strong>ority ethnic groups. It is based on <strong>the</strong> false belief that some‘races’ are <strong>in</strong>herently superior to o<strong>the</strong>rs because of different sk<strong>in</strong> colour, nationality,ethnic or cultural background. Racism denies people of <strong>the</strong>ir basic human rights,dignity and respect. Racism is a complex and multi-faceted concept, rang<strong>in</strong>g fromsmall, everyday acts of discrim<strong>in</strong>ation, through <strong>the</strong> barriers and omissions that maybe <strong>in</strong>advertently established at an <strong>in</strong>stitutional level, to acts of threaten<strong>in</strong>g behaviourand violence. 111The plan set out goals specific to <strong>the</strong> area of polic<strong>in</strong>g under <strong>the</strong> chapter “concernedwith effective protection and redress aga<strong>in</strong>st racism, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g a focus on combat<strong>in</strong>gdiscrim<strong>in</strong>ation, assaults, threaten<strong>in</strong>g behaviour and <strong>in</strong>citement to hatred.” Objective1.4. is “to enhance <strong>the</strong> role of <strong>the</strong> Gardai [<strong>in</strong>formal name for <strong>the</strong> Garda Síochana, <strong>the</strong>Irish national police force] to provide protection aga<strong>in</strong>st racism.”While it is important that polic<strong>in</strong>g was <strong>in</strong>cluded as part of Ireland’s national actionplan aga<strong>in</strong>st racism, its broader impact across <strong>the</strong> Garda organization was not clear.The NPAR does not specifically address ethnic profil<strong>in</strong>g and o<strong>the</strong>r issues of discrim<strong>in</strong>ationwith<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Garda organization, although <strong>the</strong>se clearly fall under <strong>the</strong> NPAR’sdef<strong>in</strong>ition of racism. The plan ra<strong>the</strong>r primarily focuses on police responses to racist<strong>in</strong>cidents committed by civilians and police relations with m<strong>in</strong>ority communities.52 LEGAL STANDARDS AND INSTITUTIONAL POLICIES TO ADDRESS ETHNIC PROFILING

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