Armin Tafa, a graduate of the Police Academy: Education is the starting point for solving the problems of the Roma community

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Monday, 27 July 2020 13:13

In a few months, Armin Tafa from Herceg Novi will be the only member of the Roma community from Montenegro who graduated from the Police Academy in Danilovgrad, the only institution for education and training in the security sector. In addition to doing his best to achieve enviable results and abide by the rules of the Academy, Tafa also finds time for social activism. During the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic, he conducted a survey by the NGO Young Roma on the position of the Roma community in Herceg Novi. He collected important data, and the conclusion is that education is the starting point for solving the remaining problems. We talked to Armin about attending the Academy, study conditions, obstacles that Roma students face, the material status of Roma in Herceg Novi, and plans for the future.

You are the only member of the Roma community in Montenegro who graduates from the Police Academy. Since your grandfather, a professor of history and geography, was also a military man, did he influence you to choose that profession?

TAFA: My grandfather influenced me in my further education, but he still says that it was my decision because by enrolling in the Police Academy, you move to another world, you are no longer a civilian nor an official and you treat everything differently. So, in a way, it did influence my decision and further education.

Compare the beginning and the end of your studies. Tell us a little more about the first day at the Academy. How did you feel?

TAFA: Starting my studies was very difficult because I was in a completely new environment, I didn't understand a lot of things and I had to fit in. However, after a while, I got along pretty well. It is the principle of leading a life like in a barracks. I spent a lot of time in self-isolation; I have to follow the rules of the Academy. As for the schooling that was supposed to go on normally, due to the coronavirus epidemic, some things changed, so I had to do an internship at the Herceg Novi Security Center.

You are currently doing an internship in Herceg Novi. Describe the tasks ahead of you.

TAFA: The internship is performed according to the rules of the Ministry of the Interior and the Academy in Danilovgrad from 8 - 11 weeks. Tasks are mainly related to direct contact with different parties and people who are in some kind of criminal, misdemeanor proceedings or people who are victims of these proceedings. We also sanction persons for whom it has been established by direct inspection that they have committed a violation of the law. We are also in communication with persons who have questions regarding entering and leaving the country, we check persons who have been assigned a measure of self-isolation and isolation. As part of that, I perform tasks in the Duty Service, the Criminal Police Sector, and those state border surveillance, border checks, etc. In the Intervention Unit, we take care of preserving and respecting public order and peace, controlling vehicles and persons within the Traffic Safety Sector, etc.

Are you thinking of continuing your education abroad or will you look for a job in Montenegro?

TAFA: After graduating from the Academy, I get the rank of a senior police officer of the first class. I was thinking of continuing my education in Nuremberg, where there is a faculty of forensic science that deals with the training of people who have graduated from the Police Academy, Military Police Academy, General Staff Police, General Staff Military Academy, and NCO School. A person who graduates from that faculty can work in the communications maintenance department of Interpol and Europol. However, those are the plans for a year, or a year and a half...

Do you have a message for young members of the Roma community who are considering continuing their education and enrolling in college?

TAFA: People who are planning to go to college should think carefully about the choice. There are difficulties in the financial and psychological sense. If they want to continue their education, they should consult with people who have graduated from college. They need to prepare in advance because being a student is not easy. Still, it pays off because after that you will get a job, implement your knowledge.

On the eve of the World Roma Day, you participated in the research of the NGO Young Roma on the position of the Roma community in Herceg Novi, which you presented on Herceg Novi Television. Can you remind the public how many members of the Roma community live in that municipality, the number of children, and how many of them attend kindergarten, primary and secondary school?

TAFA: Based on the research, we have established that 68 Roma families live in Herceg Novi. On average, one family has five members; the number of children from 0 to three years is 23, while seventy of them are of primary school age. Eight people attend high school and three are college students.

Do you have information on solving and improving the living conditions of Roma families in Herceg Novi, since in that municipality, in cooperation with the NGO Young Roma, the Local Action Plan for Roma Inclusion was adopted and housing is the main issue?

TAFA: It is a very sensitive topic because there are many who do not have the right conditions to improve their lives and participate in improvements. This means that they do not have the right financial assets. I am very pleased that the NGO Young Roma and the municipality of Herceg Novi are working together to solve the problems of the Roma population. As far as I know, the families in the Roma settlement in Meljine represent the biggest problem, while the others are cared for in some way. On the other hand, regardless of the fact that they are cared for, we return to the question of how important education is to solving other problems, or more precisely, to improving the conditions in which they live. Regarding the success of implementing the NGO Young Roma and the Municipality’s plan, I believe that many things will be solved. However, I would be very happy and grateful if more Roma were involved and interested. These people need to be informed and involved in solving their problems, as this increases their interest, particularly in solving their housing problems.

You participated in the seminar “Voice to students! Support to workers!“ within the project “United we reach more“ implemented by the NGO Young Roma with the Union of Free Trade Unions of Montenegro, with the support of the European Union and the Ministry of Public Administration. What experiences do you have? What topics were discussed?

TAFA: I am grateful to the NGO Young Roma for giving me the chance to participate in such an important seminar that has helped me in many areas. The political integration of not only Roma, but also other nationalities was discussed; the participants were informed about the legal norms of Montenegro, the Constitution, politics, and laws of the European Union.

You also contributed to the Roma community during the coronavirus pandemic. In what way?

TAFA: From March to mid-April, during the pandemic, I collected information with colleagues about Roma and Egyptian families. Areas we covered are education (number of children in kindergarten, primary, secondary school), employment, and material status, economics. In that way, we received data on their status, the position of young and adult Roma in the Municipality Herceg Novi.

Author: Milena Cavic

Text adapted by: Samir Jaha

Translation: Irijana Rizvanovic, Milos Knezevic

The views expressed in this article do not represent in any way the views of the NGO Young Roma, the European Union, the Council of Europe and other donors.