An approaching police officer has long been an unwelcome sight for many Ukrainians, with the force widely seen as protecting and serving the authorities, rather than the public.
The
much-hyped formation of a rebranded police service in Kyiv aims to change that
attitude.
Following
the events of the EuroMaidan Revolution last year, the police’s reputation,
already low from associations with corruption and incompetence, took a
nosedive. According to a poll conducted by the Kyiv-based Razumkov Center think
tank earlier this year, only 2 percent of Ukrainians completely trust the
police.
In an
attempt to rebuild the shattered image of Ukraine’s police, the Interior
Ministry started recruiting new patrol officers for Kyiv on Jan. 20. The new
officers will carry out the functions of patrol officers and traffic police,
replacing the highly corrupt DAI, or State Automobile Inspectorate, which is
being abolished.
Ekaterina
Zguladze, the Georgian-born deputy interior minister, said that the ministry
wants to create a brand new system of law enforcement when she announced the
recruitment drive. The ministry was especially looking for athletic people aged
18-35, she said.
One of
those who answered the call – 29-year-old Oleksandr Kharchenko – recalled listening
to Zguladze being interviewed in January while deciding on whether to apply.
“Zguladze
said she couldn’t be sure the new police officers wouldn’t take bribes – some
of them could try to, but when they end up in jail, the situation will change,”
Kharchenko says. “It was a sign that she’s a smart manager. After all, taking
bribes is – ultimately – a question of values.”
Kharchenko is
one of the 2,000 newcomers to Kyiv’s police patrol. He has no illusions that
changes will come about immediately, however.
“It’s not like
flicking a switch (from the old to a new police force) – it’s a long process,
and the new police force will also have its problems,” Kharchenko told the Kyiv
Post. “Our goal is to make people more consolidated and move from a caste-based
society.”
After
completing three 12-hour shifts over five days, Kharchenko told the Kyiv Post that
the nation deserves better police officers because it paid a high price for
real change during the EuroMaidan Revolution and the war in the east.
“Many of
the new police officers understand they are the epitome of the reforms in this
country,” Kharchenko told the Kyiv Post.
But it’s
very important to understand that there will always be people serving in the
police force who shouldn’t be there, he adds.
“Our goal
is to bring this percentage close to zero,” Kharchenko said, adding that the second
round of recruitment would help. According to Zguladze, a fresh batch of new
officers will be hired in late summer.
Kharchenko said
the salary of the new police officers – starting at Hr 8,000 ($376) a month – was
not enough to live well, but was bearable.
“I wouldn’t
have enrolled in the police if I wasn’t sure that I could make a living,”
Kharchenko said.
He said he
had no plans to become a police officer before the EuroMaidan protests. He
worked as an information technology lawyer after he got a degree in law from Kyiv-Mohyla
Academy, and then went on to complete a master’s in law and information
technology in Stockholm. But he had wanted to try serving the public.
“I thought
that the police might suit my plans. And, well, I just have a heightened sense
of justice,” Kharchenko said.
The
intensive, three–month training program, which had both
theoretical and practical elements, turned out to be a good test of motivation for the would-be police officers, who had to
attend numerous classes, six days a week, starting at 8:20 a.m.
Ksenia
Prokonova, a lawyer brought in by the Interior Ministry to help train the new
police recruits, said she was amazed at the kind of people who decided to join
the new force.
“I saw
interest sparked in their eyes, and the level of their discussions was
incomparable with their predecessors,” Prokonova said. “It’s cool that [the
ministry] brought in human rights activists, lawyers, and experts. [The
ministry] had a chance to hear from the people who were on the other side of
the barricades.”
Following
the rollout, the changes are set to go nationwide in the coming months. Ukrainian
President Petro Poroshenko said on July 8 that he would soon sign a law on a national
police force that was approved by Parliament on July 2.
Kharchenko said
the new police service still needs time develop, but he was positive about the
project’s future. He said some of his friends had even told them they aren’t so
nervous now they know that he’s patrolling the city streets.
“I guess
they might be joking,” Kharchenko adds. “After all, this is something from my childhood
dreams – it’s cool to go around with a gun, riding in a car with flashing
lights.”
Kyiv Post staff writer Olena Goncharova can be
reached at [email protected].
