Petr Torák MBE (born 8 March 1981) is a Czech-British honorary consul of the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. Th ...

in the United Kingdom and a former police officer. He is of

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: Places Australia * Roma, Queensland, a town ** Roma Airport ** Roma Courthouse ** Electoral district of Roma, defunct ** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council * Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...

origin. His police work was centred on Czech and Slovak Roma people, the issues they face, and wider questions arising from their migration to England. In 2015, Torák was appointed MBE for "services to the Roma community".

Early life and career

Torák was born in Liberec in the Czech Republic and studied at the Law Academy. In 1999, he and his parents sought asylum in the UK, after suffering violent attacks with political and racist motives.Czech Roma police officer to receive OBE from Queen Elizabeth II, Radio Prague, 17 April 2015
Torák initially worked as a volunteer in a solicitor's office in

Southend-on-Sea Southend-on-Sea (), commonly referred to as Southend (), is a coastal city and unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in southeastern Essex, England. It lies on the north ...

Police work

Torák worked in

Peterborough Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...

, a city with many recent east and central European immigrants, and his language skills (Czech, Polish, Slovak, Portuguese, English and some Russian) and cultural understanding have been commented on favourably. He is a project co-ordinator in a local organisation, COMPAS, which tries to promote community cohesion and is also a trained mediator for ROMED, an EU project which trains mediators to help Roma communities communicate with local authorities. Torák has been called on to consult with groups concerned about "modern slavery" and similar issues affecting migrants from Eastern Europe, like young women forced into sex work, and workers exploited by gangmasters. He has also been invited to participate in a meeting of the

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world's largest regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization with observer status at the United Nations. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, prom ...

(OSCE) about Roma and

Sinti The Sinti (also ''Sinta'' or ''Sinte''; masc. sing. ''Sinto''; fem. sing. ''Sintesa'') are a subgroup of Romani people mostly found in Germany and Central Europe that number around 200,000 people. They were traditionally itinerant, but today o ...

"interactions with law enforcement agencies". Answering questions, he said he was "initially regarded as a "Roma police officer", but now works with all members of the community, setting an example of how the Roma community can play a role in mainstream society." Torák is actively involved with the Gypsy Roma Traveller Police Association (GRTPA) which offers a network of support for Traveller and Romany police officers who often hide their ancestry for fear of prejudice. He is currently the Executive Director of the Association.GRTPA
He encouraged Roma people in the UK to consider policing as a possible career choice. In 2015, he was given an honorary MBE (an MBE for non-

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with " republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from th ...

citizens) for "services to the Roma community". In August 2019, the award was made Substantive.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Torak, Petr Living people 1981 births Czech Romani people Czech emigrants to England British police officers Members of the Order of the British Empire People from Liberec