When presenting the Recommendations in 2006, the High Commissioner talked about the role of police in de-escalating tensions and promoting harmonious inter-ethnic relations. Based on field work throughout the OSCE region, he had concluded that police can be both a contributor and in some instances a threat to stability in states, which are home to a plurality of ethnic groups. Let us consider the two scenarios: First, when police operate under the rule of law, are representative of the society’s demographic composition, and are responsive to the concerns and wishes of all ethnic communities, they have the potential to promote both stability in the state and the state’s legitimacy in the eyes of the multi-ethnic society. In the second scenario, we have witnessed how police can exert a negative influence on inter-ethnic relations by indiscriminate use of force, engagement in summary punishment; and ethnically motivated persecution. In such situations, the police service not only fails to serve its main purpose of preventing crime and serving the community, but also generates considerable inter-ethnic tension through heavy-handed practices and thus may even become a conflict catalyst.