The FINANCIAL — The EU launched a new project on 27 April to strengthen community policing in towns in the Kyiv, Kharkiv and Lviv regions and support the reform of public order policing in Ukraine.
The ‘Support to Police Reform in Ukraine’ (SPRU) project aims to develop a new Ukrainian model for public order policing, based on the ‘Scandinavian approach’. In addition, up to 420 police officers will receive training and protective equipment.
To improve the relationship between the police and public and support community policing efforts, reception areas of the 20 police stations selected for the project will be refurbished and up to 15 vehicles donated. In cooperation with the European Union Advisory Mission (EUAM), the project will also provide training to promote leadership for senior and mid-level police managers, as well as training in other areas such as stress management, according to EU Neighbours East Info.
Community policing is a concept which aims to build strong links between the police service and the community it serves, involving different community stakeholders, such as local authorities, businesses, religious leaders, etc. It also encourages a holistic approach to preventing and solving crime, with an emphasis on working with the community to identify the causes of crime.
“This project aims to support the National Police of Ukraine in its efforts to put citizens and democratic values at the heart of policing,” said Ann-Sofi Jakobsson, Deputy Head of Peace Support Operations and International Development Cooperation of the Swedish Police. “Facilitation of freedom of assembly and communication – policing for the people rather than of the people – are core principles of the Scandinavian public order policing approach.”
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