Police officers representing middle management of all 10 police agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina are building their competencies to deliver human rights based training programme to junior law enforcement officers. These activities are in response to the requests voiced earlier by the police officers themselves and they enjoy support by the senior policy makers.

Police officers responsible for daily management of junior staff describe this training as ''an interactive opportunity to learn from experienced trainers and best practices shared. The new presentation skills we adopt today are applicable in practice immediately, regardless of whether we are presenting training material or professional opinion.''

The need for sustainability and local ownership over a comprehensive law enforcement training programme, aligned primarily with the Council of Europe human rights instruments, is the driving force behind this training initiative. The Prison staff training team, established and supported by the Council of Europe over a series of previously implemented projects, is assisting their colleagues from the law enforcement to develop their presentation and organisation skills to deliver training to peers.

The programme is designed against the backdrop of the earlier developed guidelines for dealing with persons deprived of liberty in closed environment. The drafting of these guidelines is a direct result of the recommendations of the European Committee for the prevention of torture, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment.

This 2-day training session was held on 13-14 November 2017 in Banja Luka as a part of the Horizontal Facility for Western Balkans and Turkey Action in Bosnia and Herzegovina: ''Enhancing human rights protection for detained and sentenced persons''. Three more training sessions are planned before March 2018.