Changing police as barrier to police as solution

As protectors and guardians of public safety, police should be trusted to respect human dignity and uphold the human rights of all people. Yet, all around the world, police too often evoke fear of violence and repression Á a far cry from their civic and social purpose. This trepidation is particularly common in communities living on the fringes of society, in the shadow of punitive laws and at the sharp end of police practices. I spend many months of the year travelling to the world's cities where the HIV burden is high, talking and listening to communities in the streets and on the margins. When I ask what can be done to improve their lives, they often say they want a police force that defends their rights instead of violating them. Key populations especially Á including gay men and other men who have sex with men, people who inject drugs, sex workers and their clients, and transgender people Á want the police to support them as human beings with the same rights as all others in our shared society. Women and girls, in particular, express concern about police practices that can include harassment and abuse, extortion of money and demand for sexual services. I warmly welcome this JIAS special issue as a source of inspiration and leading-edge guidance on this important public health issue. As the articles demonstrate, interventions addressing police harassment towards key populations are feasible and effective to implement. Moreover, this important issue contains many inspiring examples of how police and civil society can build mutual trust and work in partnership to ensure the implementation of safe, sensitive and inclusive HIV programmes. Changing individual police behaviour requires transforming deeply rooted police culture, which can be done. The articles in this issue show how engaging police in dialogue Á grounded in evidence of what works and freed from judgement and moralism Á can help shape police attitudes to key populations. They provide the evidence leaders need to understand that public health and criminal justice partnerships are both feasible and timely. Change will take time, and it will demand efforts that go beyond individuals to reforming law enforcement agencies and laws and policies. It also requires developing better methods to monitor police conduct and to hold law enforcement to account. The international community has committed to the target of ending AIDS by 2030 as part of the UN Sustainable Development …