A/69/266 enforcement officers actively participated in violent attacks or colluded with the attackers. In other cases, law enforcement personnel might be poorly equipped or motivated, lack appropriate training or the appropriate command structure to respond to violence. 71. Careful consideration must be given to the training of law enforcement personnel and their ability to respond appropriately and effectively to violent situations, their ethnic or religious make-up, and their motivation. Often minorities are poorly represented in law enforcement bodies and have poor relations with them. Such bodies are largely made up of members of the majority or of certain ethnic or religious groups. As key protection actors, law enforcement personnel must be objective in their response to situations of possible or actual violence against any community. Nevertheless, even a small law enforcement presence can be critical in preventing or stopping violence. 72. Numerous positive practices can help to ensure that law enforcement bodies and officers act appropriately to protect minority communities, without prejudice. These include: initiatives to recruit and maintain personnel from minorities in law enforcement bodies, including at senior levels (e.g. the National Black Police Association in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Fraternal Association of European Roma Law Enforcement Officers, established in Budapest); deployment of ethnically and religiously mixed battalions to areas of intercommunal tension; training of law enforce ment personnel in human and minority rights with specific attention to understanding communities and territories to which they are deployed; introduction of community or proximity policing, in which law enforcement actors develop strong local relations wit h and knowledge of local conditions and at-risk communities; and establishment of independent oversight bodies. 73. In diverse societies, particularly those in which violence or conflict have previously existed, holistic, inclusive and proactive approaches to law enforcement incorporate such positive practices into a law enforcement and protection strategies. This helps to avoid reactive responses to violence that are frequently inadequate and come too late. Risk assessment methodologies incorporating analysis of past violent events, employed by law enforcement bodies, can enable authorities and others to assess the extent to which certain communities may face the threat of v iolence and to rapidly respond. E. Enabling and supporting the operation of civil society 74. Civil society has a vital role to play in detecting the early signs of impending violence, alerting national and international bodies and taking local initiatives to counter it. Violence prevention efforts should not be left only to non -governmental organizations, however. Effective prevention benefits greatly from the full participation of diverse actors, including non-governmental organizations, human rights institutions, businesses, faith groups and community leaders, educational institutions and other stakeholders. Preparing the infrastructure for and promoting a culture of violence prevention necessarily involves many actors with different sk ills, powers and relationships. 75. Civil society has played an essential role in bringing issues of national concern to the attention of regional bodies and the United Nations. Too often, however, their 14-58850 19/24