A/HRC/29/46 impact on specific communities have been amended as a result. 54 In the Netherlands, the Amsterdam Police has contracted independent auditors to examine the organization and its work. One of the auditors focused on the information and preconceptions that drive police choices about interventions. That research was followed up by a qualitative study involving interviews with between 50 and 60 police officers about their rationale for deciding who to stop and search.55 As regards Romania, the Romanian Police Strategic Initiative developed a similar model for assessing the policing of Roma persons.56 5. Reaching out to minorities 60. Another important good practice is the recruitment of persons from minority backgrounds to law enforcement agencies. Some States, for example in Europe, have set up specialized diversity units to fight racial and ethnic profiling and to increase their agencies’ representativeness and diversity. These units can address diversity issues within the law enforcement agency, and through outreach to minority communities. 61. The Special Rapporteur considers that community outreach and involvement constitute another set of good practices. Efforts to address racial and ethnic profiling should involve local communities at the grass-roots level; this includes the law enforcement agencies, which must be engaged within their communities in order to gain their trust and respect. In the United Kingdom, the West Yorkshire Police regularly holds “street briefings”, where senior officers give briefings in public places such as parks, community centres and commercial thoroughfares. Members of the public can listen to the briefing, which is given by officers before they go on patrol, and are invited to join in and highlight local issues and concerns. The reaction to these briefings has been positive, as they increase visibility and help officers to understand and target local issues. 57 In the Netherlands, the National Diversity Expertise Centre has an expert group of approximately 50 police officers of different ethnic backgrounds who are seconded to the group for up to 80 hours a year on an as-needed basis. The expert group can be called on to troubleshoot problems in multiethnic areas. It not only addresses issues as they arise, but also assists the police service in identifying any relevant findings, such as a lack of minority representation in law enforcement.58 In Ireland, the interracial cultural office holds annual consultations with ethnic minority communities to discuss good practices, minorities’ needs and concerns, and the work of ethnic liaison officers, among other topics. 59 Other positive examples identified include working with traditionally marginalized groups such as young people, travellers and irregular migrants. In South Africa, the African Centre for Migration and Society has worked with members of migrant communities who have been victims of xenophobic attacks and whose shops have been targeted, together with local police and community leaders, to end discrimination, promote dialogue and enquire into policing practices. 6. Data collection 62. Finally, the Special Rapporteur wishes to recall the importance of disaggregated data collection in regard to racial and ethnic profiling, which is essential in order to measure the 54 55 56 57 58 59 Open Society Foundations, Reducing Ethnic Profiling in the European Union: A Handbook of Good Practices, p. 136. Ibid. See http://www.europeandialogue.org. See http://www.westyorkshire.police.uk/hatecrime. Open Society Foundations, Reducing Ethnic Profiling in the European Union: A Handbook of Good Practices, p. 155. Justice Initiative interviews with Travellers, June 2008; Caroline Keane, Pavee Point Travellers’ Centre, June 2008; Finglas Gardai, June 2008. 17