On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Dayton Agreement, Thorsten Gromes was a guest at the symposium of the South East Hesse Police Headquarters on 21 November on the consequences of the Yugoslav Wars – in particular the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the genocide in Srebrenica in 1995. The focus was on their social consequences and their significance for today's police work.
Thorsten Gromes, project manager and senior researcher at PRIF in the programme area of Internal Conflicts, and Armina Omerika from Goethe University Frankfurt provided the participating police officers with historical and contemporary insights into the causes of the Yugoslav Wars and their political consequences, which continue to have an impact today.
In the subsequent panel discussion, moderated by communication scientist Merima Džaferović, the academic insights were deepened and complemented by contributions from Advija Ibrahimović, eyewitness and survivor of Srebrenica, and Marco Weller, head of the operations department of the South East Hesse Police Headquarters, emphasised the importance of remembrance culture, historical knowledge and empathy for sensitive police action.
Against the backdrop of the consequences of the Yugoslav Wars, which are still felt by many people in Germany today, the symposium advocated culturally sensitive, citizen-oriented policing, democratic values, social cohesion and the goals of Hesse's strategy for a “Resilient Police”.
Further information on the symposium can be found on the press portal of the South East Hesse Police Headquarters.