Recommendations on Policing in Multi-Ethnic Societies 18. When undertaking regular patrols in multi-ethnic areas, police should where possible deploy ethnically mixed teams in order to build public confidence and increase their operational effectiveness. Police should also ensure their tactics and appearance (e.g. numbers, visibility of weapons, choice of uniforms) are appropriate to the task and do not unnecessarily provoke fear and tension. As explained under Recommendation 4 above, it is important in a multi-ethnic society that the composition of the police is representative of that society. This is to ensure both that the police are seen to be legitimate by all ethnic groups, and so that the police have the practical skills and experience to work with all sections of society. This is especially important at the operational level in local areas that are multi-ethnic in their population composition. Police need to be able to communicate with all groups and have their confidence, especially in situations where there might be inter-ethnic tensions. The use of mixed patrols, and mixed teams for investigative or other work, can assist police to achieve this objective. Mixed teams can also provide police with a multilingual capability when carrying out policing tasks in multi-ethnic communities. At the same time, police demonstrate to the public a good-practice model of multiethnic co-operation in the provision of public services, which is the basis for a successful multi-ethnic State. The use of mixed patrols and work teams may require careful support and management where new recruits are involved or where there have been any interethnic tensions within society at large. Managers need to be sensitive to possible sources of such tensions, and to the pressures that dealing with such tensions within the community may place upon officers from particular ethnic backgrounds. Where police officers from minority backgrounds are working in their own communities, this may bring many advantages to both police and the community. However, if there is any conflict between the minority and the police generally, the police officer from a minority background may be a focus for hostility (see also under Recommendation 7 on the deployment of police officers from minority backgrounds). There may also be pressures on officers from the majority working in predominantly minority residential areas, which a colleague from a minority background can help to alleviate or resolve. The use of mixed patrols and work teams can therefore provide protection against these various tendencies, and affirms the ongoing commitment of the police to multiethnic co-operation and professional integration. 35