Debate: Police brutality within the EU
Date: TUESDAY, 20 OCTOBER 2020
Speaker: Ylva Johansson
Language: EN

Let me start to tell you about Rissa. Rissa Seidou is a young policewoman in Sweden. She’s black. She says ‘the best part of this job is to build trust in the police. We are here for young people. If we succeed in getting someone to leave the criminal path, trust can spread’. That is so right, law enforcement is about trust. Trust in society. Trust in our ability to protect people. Trust that we protect all people regardless of nationality, their sex and their sexual orientation and the colour of their skin.  In Europe we trust the police. It’s normal to go up to a policewoman or policeman to ask for directions. It’s normal to not be afraid when you report a crime. But Black Lives Matter reminds us it’s not normal for everyone in our societies. And not just in America. Sadly, cases of illegal police violence are also reported in Europe.  I firmly condemn all forms of illegal or disproportionate use of violence and discriminatory practices by law enforcement authorities. That goes against the fundamental rights and values upon which our Union is founded. Any use of force by law enforcement authorities should be proportionate and justified, otherwise we’ll lose trust. To build trust takes a long time, but it can be lost in an instant.  So we must always work hard on trust because people should be able to trust law enforcement authorities and because European policing is based on trust. European policing is community policing. We can only police effectively if we have constant cooperation and the trust of the community. Policemen and policewomen have an important and difficult job. They keep people safe from terrorists and criminals. I admire the police officers who fight child sexual abuse, who face terrible crimes and trauma in the line of duty.  Police put their lives at risk just doing their job. Last week a police station was attacked in Paris and a gunman shot and wounded a police officer in Zagreb. People join the police because they want to help and protect people and protect fundamental rights. We owe it to these policemen and policewomen to strive for zero tolerance towards illegal and racial violence.  Of course, the European Union has limited competence in this area, but we are a community of values. Member States should promote and respect law enforcement rules in line with their national constitutions in full respect of human rights. Each incident of disproportionate or illegal use of violence brought to oversight bodies should be systematically subject to an in—depth administrative or judicial inquiry. National authorities should investigate individual cases and ensure that justice is served. They should publish the results of these investigations in order to build trust. But there is, of course, a lot that the European Union can do. This discussion is linked to the wider debate on institutional racism.  Our new EU anti—racist action plan includes action for fair policing and protection. For example, training and sharing our best practice at EU level to prevent discrimination, including racial or ethnic profiling, in law enforcement. Training is also key. The European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training (CEPOL) can support Member States. CEPOL’s EU—level training could help create a common understanding of human rights and ethical conduct. What we lack is data. We will gather data on police attitudes towards minorities as part of our anti—racist action plan. What I also can and will do, is to put the topic on the agenda, coordinate and work with our agencies. I know Member States are already taking their responsibility. They already have, and still are, putting programmes in place to make sure that law enforcement upholds values and to prevent racism and xenophobia. But I want to make sure that we work together on this. Together with Europol and the German Presidency I am exploring an initiative to assess these existing programmes with European police chiefs, to share and promote the best practice and to identify possible common actions in the future.  I really look forward to listening to your contribution to this important debate.