The importance of Roma law enforcement integration The Roma ethnic group represents the largest minority in Europe. Prejudice against them is high and many of them live in deep, long-term poverty. For the complete integration of the Roma community, they should be represented in all levels of the society, especially in the state administration, law enforcement organisations, media and other areas requiring higher education. For complete integration of the Roma community, Roma should be represented in all levels of society. We need to show Roma youth and children the paths they can choose if they study, including professional police work. The radical extremist movements that these days are growing in strength are constantly stressing that Gypsies are genetically criminals and that criminality is an organic part of them. Naturally, this is not true. In order for this viewpoint to change, it is necessary for more and more young Roma to demonstrate that they can graduate from any of the law enforcement and defense training institutions, be competent in their workplaces and become professionals. The African-Americans once did this. In the 1960s the situation was the same for them, and by today they have achieved enormous results. Now they are in a position where they have leaders in the police, in the navy, in the army. I think that if there are noticeably more Roma police officers people will see that it’s not true that most of the Roma are bad, because they are also out there and they are also taking part in maintaining order. On the other hand, the mentality of police officers can also change a lot, because—beside their training—there’s no more efficient method than Roma and non-Roma colleagues working together—I can say this from my own experience. This is because if the non-Roma colleagues hold prejudices, willingly or unwillingly, it will change. This could have great significance. I think we will achieve success when it won’t be a curiosity or something unique that there are Roma police officers. It’s very important that inside every Roma person should be enough desire to prove himself and personally disprove the stereotypes. We must show that we are capable of studying, being competent and serving as examples to be followed by the upcoming generation — in such a way that we don’t forget who we really are. In addition to the symbolic power, being a policeman also presents a viable career path: You have job security, health insurance, and the ability to obtain credit to buy a house—all things that are out of the reach of most Roma. But mainly, for a non-Roma citizen to see a Roma patrolling or responding to a crime, it sends a powerful message that not all Roma are unintegrated. We too want to be safe and to help protect the safety of all people. However at European level there are still only very few initiatives that highlight how important it is to support cooperation between the police and the Roma communities, to support law enforcement professionals of Roma origin and to increase their headcount. Another serious problem is that there is no a centralised coordination the different ‘Roma law enforcement’ initiatives of European countries. Therefore the Fraternal Association of European Roma Law Enforcement Officers (FAERLEO) recommends the establishment of a Roma law enforcement adviser position in OSCE Strategic Police Matters Unit which expert has Roma origin background and law enforcement proficiency. This person should able to coordinate and catalyze European Roma law enforcement issues cooperating with OSCE ODIHR- Contact Point for Roma and Sinti.