Inclusive policing: a systemic approach to embedding human rights at the heart of professional practice

Επιστροφή Inclusive policing: a systemic approach to embedding human rights at the heart of professional practice

Description

As part of the Roadmap for an Equal and Diverse Administration (2018), the Canton of Neuchâtel has implemented a structural approach aimed at strengthening the exemplary nature of its public services, including specific measures for the police, in order to promote equality in dignity and human rights and prevent discrimination in professional practices.

This approach is based on an explicit political commitment, compulsory training at all hierarchical levels, the development of multilingual information tools, the establishment of an independent reporting office and awareness-raising activities.

Objectives

Strengthen mutual trust between the population and the police, particularly among people with a migrant background.
To guarantee equality in dignity and treatment during police interactions and checks.
To prevent discriminatory behaviour and all forms of racial profiling.
To develop a professional culture based on ethics, responsibility and understanding of diversity.
To integrate training on human rights, diversity and implicit bias into initial and continuing training on a long-term basis.
Identify police officers as active agents in the protection of fundamental rights and the fight against discrimination on behalf of the State.

The ultimate goal is to permanently embed an inclusive organisational culture within the police force. Such a change can only be achieved if it is part of a progressive, collective and sustainable process. The support of police officers is therefore essential: it is important that they understand the meaning of the process, recognise its operational and institutional usefulness, and see themselves as full participants in the change.

A societal and parliamentary context making the initiative an institutional requirement

Origin of the initiative

The implementation of this approach is based on several observations:

A diverse and pluralistic Neuchâtel society (150 nationalities).
The societal reality of documented individual and systemic discrimination.
The need to consider police officers as agents of the State, in the same way as employees of other public services, entrusted with the mission of protecting fundamental rights.

These observations have led to an adaptation of the cantonal legal framework. A legislative amendment, which came into force in 2024, establishes an accessible and simplified complaint and reporting mechanism against public officials, including police officers. This reporting office has been entrusted to the Multicultural Cohesion Service. Although it is not independent of the state, the COSM was considered by parliament to be sufficiently expert, established and supported to be entrusted with this public mission. This office does not, of course, exclude other channels for reporting and complaints, but adds a specific, accessible and well-resourced mechanism, with a permanent, multilingual, confidential and specialised reception service.

Target groups

The initiative is primarily aimed at the diverse population of Neuchâtel, and more specifically at people who are likely to be exposed to discrimination or face linguistic, cultural or administrative status-related barriers.

It also concerns police officers, as key players in public action, who are called upon to carry out their duties in a manner that respects equality in dignity and human rights.

Challenge, need or obstacle addressed

The main challenge lies in preventing discrimination, particularly profiling practices, and in strengthening trust between the population and public institutions.

The system put in place aims to guarantee effective equality of access to complaint and reporting mechanisms, taking into account linguistic, cultural or administrative barriers that may hinder the exercise of fundamental rights.

This mechanism is an essential vehicle for strengthening the transparency, accountability and democratic legitimacy of public action. It is part of a broader institutional approach aimed at promoting equality in dignity, respect for human rights and the development of an inclusive organisational culture within public services, particularly the police.

In this context, it is also important to ensure that Neuchâtel police officers understand and accept that the principles of non-discrimination, combating racism and respect for fundamental rights are not a matter of activism, but are professional obligations inherent in the exercise of their duties.

Implementation process

Implemented gradually since the adoption of the Roadmap for an Equal and Diverse Administration (2018), the approach has been structured around a coherent set of measures combining training, information and awareness-raising, as well as appeal mechanisms. A major milestone was reached in 2024 with the entry into force of a legal basis allowing for the establishment of an independent reporting office.

Main steps and measures

Political commitment

By signing the Roadmap for an Equal and Diverse Administration in 2018, the State Council, as the canton's executive authority, affirmed its commitment to bringing about lasting change in the culture of public administration. It also indicated that the Neuchâtel police, as the service responsible for public safety, was fully integrated into this process of change, on an equal footing with all other cantonal services.

This policy direction was adopted by the government as a whole, in particular by the head of the department responsible for public safety, as well as by the Neuchâtel police hierarchy, who committed to it clearly and unreservedly.

Such political leadership, which is essential for implementing reforms without provoking hostility within management and command structures, was made possible by the mainstreaming of the cantonal policy on integration and multicultural cohesion from the outset. This was achieved in particular through the adoption of a specific legal framework, the creation of a dedicated service, a civil society advisory committee for integration, and a delegate position, as well as the establishment, since 1996, of a sustained and structured dialogue with associations representing migrant communities and human rights organisations.

This policy, which does not call into question the professional requirements of public services, including those of the Neuchâtel police force in the exercise of its public security duties, conceives of integration and cohesion as a framework enabling these duties to be carried out in accordance with fundamental rights. As such, it has accompanied numerous reforms within the Neuchâtel police force since the late 1990s.

It has thus been able to gradually promote access to positions of responsibility within the Neuchâtel police force for individuals who have acquired professional practices that are sensitive to human rights, whether through external recruitment or internal promotion.

As part of this process, recruitment, training and promotion conditions, as well as the police force's communication policy and operational guidelines, have been gradually adapted to incorporate a stronger ethical framework and human rights standards.

In 2023, the State Council publicly reaffirmed its commitment to actively pursuing the implementation of the roadmap. It brought together the Interdepartmental Coordination Group for Integration, composed of the heads of the 14 main state services in contact with users, and drafted its four-year cantonal integration programme (PIC3), citing implementation as a key action. Through its legislative programme and the frameworks communicated to the heads of departments, the government sent a clear message that a change in culture was required. This renewed and firm political message at the beginning of the legislative term made it possible to roll out the following practices, based on specific instructions from the Executive.

Training:

1. Systematic training integrated into the curriculum for police cadets

All police cadets receive compulsory training integrated into the initial curriculum, covering:

Human rights;
Unconscious bias;
The challenges of cultural diversity;
Police-community relations;
The message of the State Council and the contribution of the police in implementing the State's vision of exemplary administration and policing.

2. Innovation: immersive and innovative training at the museum for police cadets

A unique educational programme, developed in collaboration with cultural and academic institutions, enables aspiring police officers to address issues of diversity, memory and equality from a historical, reflective and contextualised perspective. This training aims to strengthen professional conduct, understanding of social heritage and the exemplary exercise of public authority.

The session takes place at the Neuchâtel Museum of Art and History and is divided into three complementary parts:

a) Institutional welcome and context

The training begins with a welcome address by the museum's management, highlighting the role of cultural institutions in understanding collective narratives and issues of memory.

b) Legal and institutional framework

The head of the multicultural cohesion department presents the cantonal legal framework, the bases of integration policy and institutional expectations of the police force. He reminds participants that this training is part of the State Council's commitment to strengthening equality in dignity, social cohesion and the exemplary nature of public service.

This introduction anchors the approach in the reality of Neuchâtel, which is characterised by the presence of around 150 nationalities, as well as in contemporary issues of trust, access to rights and equal treatment. In addressing discrimination that needs to be eliminated, this part also addresses the issue of discrimination related to sex, gender, sexual and emotional orientation, and disability, in particular.

c) Scientific contributions and territorial perspective

Scientific contribution

The second part of the training course is devoted to a general cultural approach to the themes of racism, through a presentation by Professor Nicolas Bancel (University of Lausanne), a specialist in colonial and post-colonial history.

His presentation provides participants with historical, analytical and conceptual references to help them understand:

Global colonial dynamics and their effects on the construction of racial categories;
Switzerland's role in these systems, particularly in their economic, cultural, scientific and missionary dimensions;
Contemporary traces of this past in objects, imaginaries, public space and certain social practices.

The presentation highlights how certain professional reflexes or social perceptions, including in police interventions, can be influenced by invisible but still active historical legacies.

Putting this into dialogue with the reality of the canton: guided tour of the Museum of Art and History's exhibition ‘Movements’

The last part of the training consists of a guided tour of the exhibition ‘Mouvements’, which explores local history from the perspective of mobility. Participants will discover, among other things:

The canton's history of migration;
The colonial links between Switzerland and Neuchâtel;
Mobility linked to work, refuge, conflict or globalisation;
Ancient and contemporary forms of cohabitation, tensions and integration.

One section highlights the xenophobia directed against Italian workers in the 20th century, allowing aspiring police officers to reflect on current perceptions of other migrant groups.

Methodological consistency

This training programme is structured in a coherent manner:

Theoretical knowledge;
Cultural immersion;
Scientific contributions;
A territorial basis;
Active professional reflection.

It contributes to developing a policing approach based on ethics, responsibility, understanding of social contexts and the guarantee of equal treatment.

3. Establishment of an independent reporting office (from 2024)

Since 2024, it has been possible to file complaints and reports against public officials, including police officers, with the Multicultural Cohesion Service (COSM).

This independent mechanism aims to guarantee equal access to services and helps to strengthen public confidence in public institutions. It specifies in a legal framework the existence of this service, which previously existed but was not sanctioned. Approved by the cantonal parliament, this measure was published in a report by the Executive in response to the Legislative Assembly, which had questioned it about the prevalence of police violence and measures to combat it. This report itself followed a parliamentary interpellation generated by the activism of a human rights association for people from African countries who had reported systematic discrimination against them by public officials.

4. Basic training on discrimination for the entire cantonal administration

As part of the cantonal roadmap, compulsory online training was implemented in 2024 for 5000 civil servants, including around 400 police officers. It includes:

A formal government injunction;
A learning sequence on human rights and discrimination;
A code of conduct;
Information about the existence of an independent reporting office.

This training, designed by COSM experts in collaboration with a company specialising in adult education and supported by the expertise of the Swiss Migration Forum at the University of Neuchâtel, was completed by 100% of civil servants in post at the time of its publication and, since then, by all new employees entering the civil service.

It deals with discrimination and its elimination from public service work. Focusing mainly on the issue of racial discrimination, it also addresses all forms of discrimination that can be eliminated by the same reform.

Designed to be a common, cross-cutting foundation on discrimination for all public service professions, it has been well received and has generated numerous requests for additional training specific to different professions from cantonal services, demonstrating the significant support of public entities. The comments received from participants revealed a new understanding of discrimination and the role of the public service. They also provided an opportunity to discover numerous comments from civil servants who were themselves victims of discrimination and who were satisfied with the arrival of this clear injunction rather than partial awareness-raising, reserved for volunteer civil servants.

5. Training for managers, non-commissioned officers and officers of the Neuchâtel police force

Following the roll-out of systematic and compulsory training, the Neuchâtel police force – which had indicated from the outset that it should be administered to all its employees – requested that the COSM create a specific advanced training course on non-discriminatory policing.

This training is provided by the head of COSM, in collaboration with the chief of staff of the Neuchâtel police force. It focuses on understanding and preventing discrimination, as well as on the evolution of police work towards a practice based on equality in dignity, respect for fundamental rights and non-discrimination.

Renewed every five years, it has been very well received by the managers who have taken it, who see non-discrimination as a way to improve their professional performance.

Rather than a confrontational, guilt-inducing approach, the training addresses the protection of fundamental rights and the elimination of discrimination as an intrinsic part of police work, already carried out by officers, whose speciality it is. It aims to provide new perspectives, angles, tools and professional practices to increase the performance of groups in this area. Similarly, discrimination is presented as a social phenomenon that is not exclusive to the police, but which must be completely eliminated from the work of officers, whether or not it persists in the community. This ‘professionalising’ rather than corrective approach generates significant support from the police hierarchy.

6. Continuing education for new managers

Similar training is offered each year as part of a seminar for people entering management positions. This ensures that this work culture is passed on to all those in positions of responsibility.

7. Development of multilingual tools for accessing rights

An information brochure entitled ‘Knowing your rights and obligations in the event of a police check’, co-produced by the Neuchâtel Cantonal Police and the Multicultural Cohesion Service (COSM), is available to the public in 14 languages.

It aims not only to provide clear and accessible information on rights and obligations during a police check, the possibilities for support and the mechanisms for reporting and appealing, but also to remind the police of their mission within the framework of the rule of law, to reinforce their awareness of their role and responsibilities, and to position them as actors in the effective guarantee of fundamental rights.

This brochure was presented by the head of COSM and the head of community policing to teachers of bilingual introductory information courses. These teachers are refugees with a level of French of B1 or higher, who then teach courses to other refugees.

The session allowed for direct exchange, with time set aside for questions and clarifications.

The content of this training is intended to be passed on to refugees attending the introductory information courses in order to strengthen their understanding of their rights, obligations and the mechanisms for reporting and seeking redress.

8. Public and institutional awareness-raising activities

For over a month, the Neuchâtel Cantonal Police hosted the exhibition Nous et les autres : des préjugés au racisme (Us and others: from prejudice to racism) from the National Museum of Natural History in Paris. The opening was attended by two State Councillors and the heads of the police.

This initiative was part of the Neuchâtel Action Week Against Racism and aimed to encourage collective reflection on the mechanisms of prejudice and racism, both within the police force and among the general public.

These initiatives are intended to be repeated on a regular basis.

Actors and partners involved

State Council of the Canton of Neuchâtel
Neuchâtel Cantonal Police
Chief of Police and senior officers
Service for Multicultural Cohesion (COSM)
Cultural and academic institutions

Results achieved

Quantitative results

100% of police cadets trained
100% of managers trained every five years
100% of cantonal civil servants (approx. 5000), including police officers, trained via e-learning
Information brochure available in 14 languages
Creation of an operational platform between COSM and the Neuchâtel police, which meets three times a year to discuss operations, community perceptions, training, and any disputes, complaints and reports received.

Qualitative results and impacts

Strengthening effective access to rights and the filing of complaints
Reduction of institutional barriers to the exercise of rights
Evolution of professional practices and institutional language towards clearer, more neutral and respectful formulations, helping to strengthen public confidence.
Improved trust between the public and the police

Key success factors

Strong political will on the part of the State Council
Direct and visible commitment from the police hierarchy
Presentation of the Neuchâtel police's efforts as an action that enhances public safety rather than as an obstacle, and as a pioneering action that generates healthy corporate pride
Existence of a specialised reporting office that is accessible
Coordination between police training, information on the rights and obligations of the public, and recourse to a complaints office.

Innovations:

Structured collaboration between the COSM and the police, with additional annual meetings between management.
Immersive approach combining arts, sciences, memory and professional practice.
Enhanced access to information via multilingual tools.
Gradual institutional transformation based on trust and prevention.
Fundamental conception of the protection of human rights as a direct mission of all public services
Fundamental conception of police work as a public service among others rather than as a state within a state, responding to its own frameworks and understanding of public service.

Overall impact

Strengthening of mutual understanding between the public and the police.
Evolution of professional practices and institutional language.
Sustainable anchoring of themes in initial and continuing training.
Improved access to information and use of reporting mechanisms.

Training, informing and guaranteeing recourse mechanisms helps to prevent discrimination, strengthen the legitimacy of public action and ensure that every person, regardless of their origin, language or status, is treated with dignity, fairness and respect.

The integration of an independent reporting office, combined with systematic training and strong political commitment, contributes to inclusive, equitable and legitimate public security.

It strengthens social cohesion, prevents discrimination and builds lasting trust between the population and institutions.

Cross-cutting aspects

Gender equality: integrated into the overall approach to discrimination.
Youth perspective: taken into account through the training of police cadets.
Intersectional approach: equitable access to information and complaint mechanisms for people facing multiple vulnerabilities (origin, language, status, gender).
Sustainability: inclusion of the reporting office in the cantonal legal framework and sustainable integration of mandatory training. Additional training is planned in order to continue updating skills and continuously improving practices.