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by Lennart Spolander, Photo: L Spolander

Project leader for the project Human Rights Umbrella I – III, 2009 – 2012.

It has been a long waiting period to receive the leading staff from the Police Academy in Kharkov, but finally could the contact seminar be arrange so the leading staff at KhNUIA could have a better opinion on the possibilities that gives for co-operation with the Police program at UMU.

   

Left photo: Mikael Sjogren – head of the police program, Inger Renstrom, and Elisabeth Astrom, director of studies at the police program and the new rector for KhNUIA, Oleksandr M. Bundurka and Stanislav O. Osyatinskiy, head of International Office at KhNUIA. On the photo to the right is Conny Tarnklev in front.

During the three day visit, rector Bundurka and Mr Osyatinskiy was able to see and participate in many different activities that was going on at the last week of the spring semester for the police students. Among other thing they visited physical training at IKSU sport centre, shooting lessons, training in self defense at Umestan. Mikael Sjogren had also a run-through over the two year police program and the additional 6 months practice within the police organization. Mikael, Inger and Elisabeth could now return some of the generous hospitality they were welcomed with when they visited KhNUIA in late January 2010.

The Swedish researchers in Police work made a short presentation on the subjects of their research. Lars-Erik Lauritz talked about the study underlying his thesis of Identity construction among Swedish police officers. Staffan Karp gave a presentation on his and Henric Stenmarks article about how police education is built upon both tradition and change. Thomas Back introduced his thesis on Police officers stress-coping-strategies and competencies. Staffan Sehlin talked about his study of mediating as a mean to prevent youths from committing repeated crimes. Finally Oscar Rantatalo talked about his ongoing study of leadership, technology and management converge and relate in the operational command of the Swedish police. After the presentations, the meeting discussed Swedish, Ukrainian and global police research in an open and constructive way. The discussion traced both important similarities and differences and concluded that continuous exchanges would be valuable.

   

Lennart Spolander took care of the cultural program during these days, showing the city and its surroundings – from 5.000 year old rock carvings to fresh Bothnic water. Two evenings rector Bundurka and Mr Osyatinskiy met Lennat Spolander and Ywonne Wiklund to discus the already on-going autumn week course in “Human Rights and Policing” at KhNUIA. These talks focused on the future and the possibilites that the project offers and to take a step forward – what can be realized when the project is over …

The concluding meeting could be summarized as follows – now we know much about each other, the university cultures, the police trainings, theory and practice, the academic knowledge and writing … similar problems at different universities and societies, differences that sometimes can be fruitful to the other – always something to learn - that was the attitude that still was in the meeting room after the persons had left.

   

The different parts of the project can be followed on this web site:

http://www.svshv.umu.se/internationellt/ukraina/index.html

Kharkov National University of Internal Affairs, Ukraine

http://www.univd.edu.ua/eng/index.php?pint_act

***

In middle of October 2009, I and my colleague Ywonne Wiklund returned to Kharkov for the 3rd time. It was the second time we had a 5 dag course in “Human Rights and Policing” for a new group of police cadets from Kharkov National University of Internal Affairs (KhNUIA).

Stanislav Osiantinsky, the head of Internal Affairs at KhNUIA, was responsible to arrange a new group with 25 young police cadets. 5 of them were from other universities who has Police Academy too, Kherson near the Black Sea and Kirovograd. To involve other universities was is a way of widening the contact net and spread some of the training methods and content to distant regions - with active support of Osiantinsky.

This year cadets had a slight overweight of female … 60%, it?s the opposite in the regular police training, maybe due to that the females has better grades from school, especially in language.

We really look forward to this year?s course. So many things that were new to us last year were now quite familiar – that was a good feeling. Another thing that made October 2009 shine was the founding from the Swedish Institute for a 3-year project called “Human Rights Umbrella, I – III”. We will come back to Kharkov three times and build up the capacity about “Human Rights and Policing”.

We received most inspirations to this course from the long work with Summer university courses at Umea university and the last 3 years courses held in Mykolayiv, near the Black Sea. To meet these active and curious students is a very positive challenge, for whom “WHY?” is not only a didactic question but also a question about life and good governance where history is “history”, and “Now” is the “future”.

The days had the same structure - Nine to four - and where tomorrow was present in the actual day. Everything changes, just a little bit and so was the attitude and feelings among the participants. Written evaluation was the end-part of each day, which we could involve in the coming days. Quite invisible we build up a strong group feeling were all individuals were seen – the hidden structure behind the different group works and methods used.

We more and more realize that we need five days to build up such a culture where most of the participants don?t know each other before, and that is what we will do during the coming years. The themes for the mini-lectures were more or less similar with year 2008: Human Rights and its global impact, Ethics and Police work I and II, Police education in Sweden, Walking with the Devil (about the Code of Silence), Why violate Human Rights?, The mechanism of evil, Stereotypes and Prejudice, Women – Children and Police work

The documentary movies Stanford Prison Experiment and A Class Divided heated up the reflections about ones own view on “the Other” and what that tells you about yourself. Simulations, dilemmas, cartoons (not the Danish Cartoons) and ice-breakers such as the human knot and circle of friendship made every day the best day - an impossible fact, but true at one specific time. When the time came to present their own human right case - the spirit in the room was of an active listener and suggestful fellow being. On that top stood the presenter of the Goldstein report – Sergey Yereschenko – thank you for that detailed and actual report.

We had also the possibility to meet many police cadets from last year at the Colosseum bar & restaurant. It was a joyful meeting … to see and hear what they are doing today and how the dreams in the near future have been fulfilled – for many of them!

                                        Ywonne in between …                         … Stanislav, the guards and Lennart

Umea 29th of November 2009

Lennart Spolander

Photos by Lennart Spolander, Ywonne Wiklund and Stanislav Osiantinsky

Evaluation: underline/mark the alternative that is close to your opinion.

1. Your opinion of the course in whole (all five days):

2. Mark to what level you consider yourself have gained a deepen knowledge about the context of the Human Rights Declarations and Conventions and their relations to Policing

3. Have you gained new knowledge about Human Right issues in the frame work of the police training and police work?

4. Do you think that you will have good/any use your new knowledge from this course in your own police education and everyday life?

5. We are also very pleased if you could write your personal reflections of the course:

“I gained a deepen knowledge about the context of HR and conventions. I know a lot of things that helps me in my future police work. Every lesion was excellent. Lennart and Ywonne – you are very nice, friendly and interesting people. I am glad that you gave me such knowledge. I hope our “circle of friendship” will exist forever. I really liked both of you. Thank you for everything, for knowledge, for practice English, for every word you said. Students of our university needs such lessons, so please don?t forget about us. See you soon I hope!!! Thanks for everything!”

“This course was excellent. I have learn and gained a lot of knowledge about HR. I hope that I will use all this knowledge in my future job. Thank you for your job, and for your spending time. I?m very pleased to meet you. I look forward to meet you again. Thank you!”

“I can?t imagine that it is over, that the course has finished… But how it is important for us! We are the future of our world, of democracy and guaranteeing peoples human rights and freedoms, we have to do our best to change this world. If we will not do it, WHO will do it? Ywonne and Lennart, you help us to increase our knowledge level on the top as it was possibility. You have opened the new values for us… and of course, thanks that you help me to meet new friends, to have a good time, which we have spent together. I will use a circle of friendship with my old friends. You do very important things together! The whole world needs your help, and day after day it changes, it gets better of course. I can?t but mention that you have many new friends from Ukraine, who are ready to help you in any situations you will be! Your friend from KNUIA, Ukraine”

“Thank you! You are very kind and interesting people. Lennart, you are the best! Your lecture was very useful for me. I wish you happiness, health and luck. I will always remember you. Ywonne – you are wonderful women. Thanks for your good words, for bright eyes, light smile! You show to us a lot of things I didn?t know before. You made me think about beautiful things in the world. We will become good police officers! We will remember all what you talk about. I hope that we will meet again, maybe soon! Don?t forget us. With Love”

“First of all, I want to thank you for your coming to Ukraine. You really do a big deal. During this course I?ve understood something very important and I think I?ll change my behavior a little bit. I enjoyed every game and practice, maybe I wasn?t to good in all, but I tried. I understood that you are really very clever people, there are so many things in your heads- I really want to go to Sweden, Umea, Stockholm, and compare, maybe, the work of our police and of yours. Now, I can?t do it. But things change. Everything is possible. PS Thank you”

"These 5 days were remarkable!. All this days were different and also funny but the main role is to make the step forward to some changes in our society in future. You show us that we have our own power, which could be useful for each of us, to think about Human Rights. That these rights for police officers have to be the best for a good behavior in our practices in future. You retell us about interesting and useful books, which we haven?t known. Interesting lectures, games and other teachings. I?m impressed and satisfied all these days. My thanks for you, With the best wishes”

“Thank you very much for a course!. I think it was just perfect, also I was very surprised when I saw your way of teaching – this games, conversations etc. For us it is another way of teaching and it is very good!
I found out many new things, also critical thinking – it is a great thing! You showed me that we have to look at other thinks not only from one side, but the others, that is good… I wish that all people someday understood and realized that we have to live in peace and respect to each other.
Thank you very much. You making holy work for the world … Let?s the people always hear you … and understand you … Thank you very much"

“I liked this day most of all. Because it was very interesting. It?s made us look in our life and our thoughts from another way. We saw a wonderful movie. It teaches us we must respect another people. That is no fear when one people discriminated by his nationality, religion, language, the color – all this are nothing. The main thing is the people inside. All people have it?s own possibility, wishes and so on, so that may do it in real, and no matter what color of skin you have. We must love each other and respect each other …”

“ I have so many feelings inside, so just can?t write a lot. I want to sing and laugh and dance and just scream!!! The video about the experiment at one American school influenced me much. But It wasn?t comfortable to be manipulated in the game we played in the end of this day with chips, because I understood I couldn?t do anything to change my position. It was disturbing me. Thank you for one more wonderful day!”

“This day was just amazing! We have made so many things: 1) talked about everybody?s HR cases had an interesting discussion, 2) we were making sitting circle together. Ywonne told us we were the best of the best!, 3) Then saw a film about an experiment in the prison. It was awful, scarring but interesting!, 4) I?ve got a lot of new knowledge today and hope the next day will be like that one, or even better. PS. Thank you for doing such a great work”

”During this day I got to know much more information than on previous one. We discussed some document, very important documents and books for many people like conventions about human rights. I paid attention to one book – it?s „Walking with the devil?. I got much experience in different spheres connected with work of police and made necessary conclusions. Our friendship between us and my colleagues became stronger.“

“The most interesting in our meeting was “fighting” between the teams of service and force. To my mind the best way to interest public is to make a debate. At that way we can tell what we think and hear other minds.”

“I really liked the lesson which passed. I liked the atmosphere. It was very friendly, pleasant. To tell the truth I had never such lesson. And I think that it is very useful for me. I really liked all aspects of the lesson, Thank You!”

“I want to say that this topic is very popular in our country. Because most if people don?t know their rights and even if they know them they are afraid to protect ones. After the first day I found out many interesting and new information?s about protect of human rights. Ywonne and Lennart are very communicative and interesting.”

“As for me, I think everything was fine, to tell the truth, I thought it will be not so good, but it was great! I understood that the problem of human rights is one of the biggest problems in the world. I knew that it is a problem, but I didn?t know that it?s very big. Possibly with your program other people and students will realize this problem and in future, new generation will solve this problem.”

“Good start of the course. I?ve got a lot of impressions! It?s my first experience of talking and communicative with foreigners! The problem of HR is very actual nowadays. So it would be very useful for me in the future! Thanks for the pen!”

“Human … it is a wonderful creation with its positive and negative parties! Thank you very much, that you discuss such important problem and try to give your feelings and impressions to our hearts. We will enjoy it very much…”

“I like the meeting very much. I liked the organization of it, the way we worked together It was interesting for me to get acquainted with new people, to have language practice. The theme of human rights is very important and I would like to learn more about this problem. Thank you for all this! I hope that other meetings will be as interesting as today?s.”

“I was really impressed by such kind of work. It was really interesting for me to become a part of this community, where each person has its own opinion and can share it with you. We were working together, in groups, so we could learn some interesting things about each other. We also listened to good and important news for us. It was fun. It was interesting.”

“For me it was the first time I been this conversation with foreigners. We spent a good time and know a lot and useful things about human right. Also I like our representation with different cadet! It was unusual and not like in our university. In fact I would like to do our meeting more often, and maybe in future we can visit your university and share our experience, PS Sorry for mistakes!”

“This course is very important. It made us to think about many real important things without these things (I mean HRs knowledge etc) we can?t build our democratic country. We know so much about it but we don?t thought so much about and we don?t follow them. We saw very interesting film about brown and blue eyes and we understand so much. Even little children have so strong prejudices and stereotypes so we can say about other people. It is very dangerous so we must fight with it. Xenophobia, racism and so on, are so awful crimes against the people and we must prevent it. We know our rights but we adapted to the situation when these rights are not real in our life. That is only in the declarations we decelerated and don?t do it. Why? We are police officers and we had to save our country and people here. Your course makes us to remember about all human and do all to save their dignity, rights and so on …”

Thank you for your active participation and for your comments on our course, and your suggestions for improvement so that we can make a course like this a step better next time… Lennart and Ywonne