KHNUVS held the third edition of community police officers
Today, October 2, Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs held solemn events on the occasion of the graduation of students of specialized courses of district police officers assigned to police stations of territorial communities.
Over the course of 2.5 months, 125 trainees from different units of the Main Departments of the National Police and the Departments of Patrol Police of 23 regions of Ukraine received training in general law disciplines, pre-medical, tactical and special fire training, and improved their driving skills. This is a new level of communication and police service. The community officer lives on the territory of the community, is available to the population 24/7, is ready to deal with all security issues and is always close to people. His task is to do everything possible to make every inhabitant of the community feel safe and secure. The training was supported by IСITAP.
The celebrations were attended by Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Kateryna Pavlichenko, Deputy Head of the National Police, Police General of the Third Rank Oleksandr Fatsevich, First Vice-Rector of Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs Colonel Dmytro Shvets, Head of the National Police Department in Kharkiv Stanislav Perlin, Attorney for U.S. Embassy in Ukraine Christina Quinn, Head of the Department of Law Enforcement at the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine Sarah Langenkamp, Counsel for Law Enforcement of the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine Frank Herbert, Program Manager of the Law Enforcement Division of the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine Oleg Savchin, Deputy Director of the ITAR Program in Ukraine Tim Yanovik, representatives of the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine and the Regional Program Office of the ISITAR Program, Vice-Rectors, University Staff.
There was a ceremony of awarding certificates to graduates. Certificates of project participants were also received by the heads of seven territorial communities — Balakleyska, Zmiivska, Oleksiivska, Vilkhiv, Donetsk, Bezlyudivska and Slobozhanska. They were presented by Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Kateryna Pavlichenko, Prosecutor of the US Embassy in Ukraine Christina Quinn and Deputy Head of the National Police Alexander Facevych.
On behalf of the Minister of Internal Affairs Denis Monastyrsky, Deputy Minister Ekaterina Pavlichenko congratulated the graduates on the successful completion of their studies.
“Today is an important day in your life. You have completed your studies, received certificates and from now on you are community police officers. Your main task is: to focus on the needs of the local population, to maintain constant contact with residents, to monitor and maintain order on a daily basis in your territory, to respond to the needs of the community in a timely manner and to prevent the commission of offenses. From the Minister of the Interior, I would like to thank the territorial communities for their openness and readiness to implement the project and congratulate you on the fact that in the coming days police officers will be working in your communities. I also thank our international partners, thanks to whom we are implementing this project.”
The deputy minister wished the graduates to be honest, open, never stop in their personal development, with the dignity of carrying the high rank of community police officer.
In her speech, Christina Quinn, attorney for the US Embassy in Ukraine, noted that today's event is an example of effective cooperation of the United States government with Ukraine to implement reforms.
“The U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, the Department of the Interior, and the National Police are making every effort to make community residents feel safer and they are doing so in a practical and effective way. We greatly appreciate the support of local communities who feel that, thanks to the presence of community police officers, their residents feel safe. They trust the police more and more. That is why Interior Minister Denis Monastyrsky promised to double the number of community police officers. The United States is ready to support this goal by providing additional funding of $10 million, and we are announcing the provision of these funds today,” the US Embassy's attorney in Ukraine stressed.
Christina Quinn assured of continued partnership and friendly relations with the United States in carrying out reforms.
Deputy Head of the National Police of Ukraine, Police General of the Third Rank Oleksandr Fatsevich congratulated the graduates, representatives of the territorial communities in which today's graduates will work and stressed that the knowledge and skills they received during their studies will be useful to them during their service. He thanked the US Embassy in Ukraine, ISITAR, without whose support the implementation of the Community Police Officer project would not take place, and also emphasized the important role of territorial communities.
“70% of community police officers are provided with transportation at the expense of their communities. This is cooperation and trust. Thank you to the heads of the territorial communities who believed in this project and supported it,” he said.
Addressing graduates, Oleksandr Fatsevich urged to be guided in his work by the norms of the Law and the interests of the community, so that the level of trust only increases.
On behalf of the rector of the university, the third-rank police general Valery Sokurenko, the graduates were congratulated by the first vice-rector of the university, police colonel Dmitry Shvets.
“Today is a festive day for us — graduation of community police officers at Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs. This is a continuation of the reforms of the National Police. The best teachers and coaches were involved in the implementation of the project “Community Police Officer”. We count on you, your professionalism, your attitude to the result, so that citizens feel both protection and support, so that every citizen of Ukraine sees in the community police officer, first of all, a defender and assistant,” he said.
The active police officers of the communities of Kharkiv region demonstrated the service cars and their equipment to those present. The events were held in compliance with all quarantine requirements.
VZG KHNUVS
