First newly recruited neighbourhood police officers begin their four-month OSCE-supported training

KYIV, 27 September 2016 - As part of introducing a newly reformed neighbourhood police force in Ukraine, a first group of 140 cadets began an education course implemented by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine.  The official opening ceremony of the training took place today at the Kyiv Centre for Police Training.

Upon completion of 688 hours of training and passing of exams, the newly recruited future police officers will join the ranks of Kyiv Region’s neighbourhood police service.  

“Neighbourhood police is a law enforcement service that maintains close contact with the population. That is  why the openness of these officers and their ability to respond to the needs of citizens is a key factor in successfully ensuring public order and safety,” said Vaidotas Verba, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine in his opening speech.

The training course encompasses the fundamentals of human rights and tolerance, community policing approaches, methods of investigation, handling cases of domestic violence and trafficking in human beings and building effective communication and interaction with the community and other topics. 

The reform of Ukraine’s law enforcement involves certification of over 100,000 police officers, in an attempt to build a new, community-needs oriented police force. The OSCE Project Co-ordinator also supports a two-week re-training course for over 8,100 acting police officers who successfully passed the certification. Those who fail the certification are replaced by newcomers selected through an open competition.