Between July and September, the Council of Europe Office in Pristina, organised a series of five training sessions on combating hate speech for young Kosovo Police officers, bringing together nearly 100 participants from across the country. The sessions were organised under the project "Fostering Social Cohesion by Reinforcing Minority Rights and Minority Languages," with each two-day session held in a different region bringing together officers from different ethnic communities, reflecting the multi-ethnic character of the Kosovo Police and the communities they serve.
 
The series kicked off on 1-2 July, when 25 junior officers from the Mitrovica region took part in the first session.  Council of Europe standards on combating hate speech, the link between hate speech and hate crime, freedom of expression and its limits, digital hate speech, victim-centered policing, and the importance of inter-institutional cooperation, were the main themes that were carried out through the rest of the series.
 
The second session brought the training to the Peja/Pec region, where 20 junior officers took part, building on the same core themes with a focus on the specific dynamics of policing diverse communities in the area.
 
The training then moved to Pristina, where 20 junior officers took part in the third session. This round placed particular emphasis on practical approaches to recognising and responding to hate speech, applying Council of Europe standards, addressing online hate speech, and strengthening cooperation between law enforcement and other relevant institutions.
 
On 9-10 September, the fourth session gathered 20 young officers from the Prizren region, again focusing on recognising and addressing hate speech, including in online spaces, understanding the links between hate speech and hate crime, protecting victims, and strengthening cooperation between police and other institutions.
 
The series concluded in Gjilan/Gnjilane, where 15 young officers took part in the fifth and final session, covering the same core areas: recognising and responding to hate speech both offline and online, based on Council of Europe standards, and reinforcing how police can work more closely with other institutions to address hate speech and hate crime.
 
Through these training sessions, the Council of Europe continues its cooperation with the Kosovo Police to strengthen officers' skills in recognising and responding to hate speech, with the aim of building safer and more inclusive communities.