Following the preparation of a new guide on “Policing Hate Crime against LGBTI persons: Training for a Professional Police Response”, over 150 police officers from different parts of Albania are capacitated, during 2 months period, in identifying and addressing hate crimes towards LGBTI people. The guide builds on the Council of Europe standards and its purpose is to provide assistance, information and improve law enforcement officials’ substantive knowledge on hate crime against LGBTI people and strengthen their capacity and practical skills to investigate such hate crimes.  

Police officers were trained in using the guide, while also refreshing and expanding their own knowledge and skills on working with LGBTI communities and policing hate crimes against them. The guide is further included in the curriculum of the Faculty of Crime Investigation of the Academy of Security as part of its bachelor and continuous training.

The activities took part within the frame of the joint European Union/Council of Europe Action “Preventing and combating discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in Albania”, under the Horizontal Facility for Western Balkans and Turkey.