Streamlining Cyprus's police training programs with Human Rights principles

摘要

This paper addresses the way key actors involved in police initial education programs as well as in-service training in Cyprus perceive the current position of Human Rights perspectives in the existing curricula of their institution as well as the prospects for change.The presentation starts with an overview of the structure of police initial education programs and in-service training in Cyprus. It then presents frequent human rights violations by police authorities in Cyprus as recorded by international monitoring agencies. We assess the extent to which such violations can be addressed by streamlining existing programs with Human Rights principles. Moreover, the presentation considers the extent to which people involved in the delivery of police training programs regard the introduction of innovations for streamlining the existing curricula with fundamental Human Rights principles is feasible and can affect the way police at all levels go about in performing their mission.To this end this presentation presents the findings of a qualitative study funded by the European Commission under the "Fundamental Rights and Citizenship" program which includes interviews with administrative and teaching personnel of Cyprus' Police Academy as well as students attending existing programs.