Arsen Avakov: Mariupol! We completed a plan to create Your patrol police! And we are moving further! (PHTOS, VIDEO)
On May 30, 2016 in Mariupol (Donetsk region) took place a solemn ceremony of taking the oath by the new patrol policemen. This ceremony was attended by the Prime Minister of Ukraine, the Minister of Internal Affairs, the Head of the National Police of Ukraine, as well as representatives of the countries-partners in Ukrainian law enforcement reform, the regional and city executives and MPs.
27 Heads of the local Patrol Police Departments from across the country came to Mariupol to congratulate Mariupol patrolmen.
"172 new patrolmen led by cyborg Vitali Gorkun took the oath of allegiance to the Ukrainian people in Mariupol!" - reported the Minister.
The head of MIA noted that competition to serve in the Mariupol patrol police has been traditionally tough - about 17 candidates per vacancy. MIA received 3139 applications and candidates passed through exceptionally strict selection process in view of the special significance of this patrol police detachment. Then these guys were taught along a special program by the best coaches in the specially created Mariupol police training center.
The average age of the new Mariupol policemen is 27 years. Among them 38 women, five of whom have participated in the ATO. 128 patrolmen have college level education.
12% of these new police officers who will take to the streets of the front-line city of Mariupol are displaced residents from the temporarily occupied territories.
Five patrolmen have participated in the combat operations in the ATO zone. Police lieutenant Vitaly Gorkun was appointed head of the Mariupol Patrol Police Department. He was awarded the Order "For courage", III degree, for the combat missions in the ATO zone, including defense of the Donetsk airport.
In total nine Heads of the local Patrol Police Departments (in Lvov, Odessa, Dnepropetrovsk, Cherkassy, Chernovtsy, Rovno, Kramatorsk-Slavyansk, Severodonetsk-Lisichansk-Rubezhnoe, Mariupol) and Head of the NPU main Patrol Police Department are combatants who have shown courage and heroism at the front line and were awarded with state decorations.
"This is our standard!" - emphasized Arsen Avakov.
"Mariupol was not accidentally selected as the final city to complete the first and expository phase of the MIA reform. This is an emblematic, special for all Ukrainians city. It is the first city in the Donbass region which came back from captivity, which has experienced the fear and inhumanity of this wild hybrid war. Therefore, today is a special high-day for us. Therefore it is a special honor and a very special responsibility - to serve in the Mariupol police. Serve with honor and according to your conscience, guys!" - urged the Minister of Internal Affairs.
The Minister informed that at the ceremony of taking the oath by the Mariupol patrol policemen were present the ambassadors and representatives of embassies of the US, EU, Canada and Japan.
"We have invited to Mariupol our friends and colleagues, the representatives of those countries that believed in our reforms and helped us at every stage with advice, and expertise, and experts and resources.
Once again I say thank you to:
US Embassy in Ukraine, Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt and Attache on law enforcement matters Christopher Smith;
EU Delegation to Ukraine and personally Ambassador Jan Tombinski;
Embassy of Canada in Ukraine and the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador Roman Waschuk and the First Secretary Anne Mattson-Gauss;
Embassy of Japan in Ukraine and the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Shigeki Sumi;
EU Advisory Mission to Ukraine and its Head Kęstutis Lančinskas" - said the Minister of Internal Affairs.
Arsen Avakov noted that today was opened the 28th local Patrol Police Department. In total the new patrol police is now serving 31 cities in Ukraine.
"With this landmark event we completed the first phase of deployment of the patrol police in Ukraine. Now we are planning to deal with improvement of quality of the police work and to start additional recruitment to the patrol police in the cities where it is already operating. In prospect we shall announce recruitment and launch patrol police in two more cities (Berdyansk and Melitopol), bring under control by the new police all inter-city routes, complete the establishment of the police special forces unit KORD (in particular, the witness security protection program), start the reform of the police precinct inspectors system and then proceed to the reform of the criminal detective and investigative divisions and other units of the National Police.
Our immediate plans also include strategic reform of the State Emergency Service (SES). Recently we have managed, with the support of the Cabinet of Ministers, to drastically raise the pay level of staff of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (SBGS). Soon you will meet the New MIA service centers ... " - stated the Minister of Internal Affairs.
Department of communication of MIA-Ukraine
