Recommendations on Policing in Multi-Ethnic Societies EXPLANATORY NOTE TO RECOMMENDATIONS ON POLICING IN MULTI-ETHNIC SOCIETIES I. GENERAL PRINCIPLES 1. States should adopt policies which clearly recognize the importance of policing for inter-ethnic relations. These policies should form part of wider policies and programmes to promote the integration of minorities at national and local levels. They should also be co-ordinated with wider action to promote pro fessionalisation and a service-orientation in policing, and to ensure that all policing is carried out in accordance with international standards on human rights, including rights of persons belonging to minorities. In a multi-ethnic society good inter-ethnic relations and the integration of persons belonging to national minorities depend on the perception of all ethnic groups that the activities of the state are legitimate and effective. 1 In particular, the role of the police as the 'front-line' and most visible law enforcement agency is crucial: police are gatekeepers to justice for minorities. Minorities who perceive the police as enforcing the law impartially and providing access to justice and community safety are likely to hold the state in respect; failure by police and other responsible authorities to establish their legitimacy in the eyes of minorities can result in resentment and fear and a climate in which extremism can flourish. Acceptance of the police as legitimate and effective, whether at national, regional or local level, depends on the establishment of a relationship of trust, based on good communication and practical co-operation, between the police and minorities. The establishment of such a relationship will not only improve inter-ethnic relations but will also contribute to the efficiency of policing. The recommendations below, based on experience, are intended to help States achieve such relationships. 1 The Recommendations are formulated in terms of the policing of 'national minorities' in 'multi-ethnic societies'. In the view of the experts, the term 'national minorities' encompasses a wide range of minority groups, including religious, linguistic and cultural as well as ethnic minorities. In principle, the Recommendations are relevant for all of those groups. Similarly, it should be noted that the word 'minorities' is used at some points in the Recommendations as a convenient abbreviation for the phrase 'persons belonging to national minorities'. 9