ROMA BELIEVE THAT THE POLICE DON’T PERCEIVE THEM AS CITIZENS

13. June 2014.

The Project of the Center for Public Policy Research "Male and Female Roma and Security Sector Reform" was carried out in six cities and municipalities in Serbia, which include Nis, Vranje, Bujanovac, Kragujevac, Subotica and Zemun.

The project has shown that the Roma community has a negative or neutral attitude towards the police, and a positive one toward the army, although it doesn’t have much in common with it, except for doing national service there.

The Roma perceive the police as inefficient, because it responds to their calls, but doesn’t do anything about them, or is unable or unwilling to reduce attacks on the Roma community.

There is a rather extreme case in Nis, where the Roma perceive the police as a direct threat to their safety and security, because the police, by its conduct, instill fear into the Roma community there.

The respondents stated that they believed that the police didn’t perceive them as citizens and that members of the Ministry of Interior used too much force during their interventions.

Source: “Danas” daily and Coordination Body