Oleksii Serdiuk, Head of the Research Laboratory of Social and Psychological Support, Assistance and Rehabilitation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, delivered a speech on ‘European experience of police cooperation with the public’ and took part in the discussion platform ‘Organisation of cooperation between the National Police and public formations for the protection of public order and the state border under martial law’, which took place on 30.10.2024 at Odesa State University of Internal Affairs.

During the expert discussion with the participation of representatives of central and local executive authorities, local self-government bodies, representatives of the National Police, public formations for the protection of public order and the state border, leaders of NGOs, academics, experts of the Public Law Network and the UPLAN administration, the following recommendations were formulated
- to further intensify the joint activities of the PF and the National Police, to create regional networks of public order and state border protection units and to form joint headquarters of the heads of these units;

- in order to address local problems and challenges of wartime, memoranda of cooperation should be concluded between the GF network, the Main Department of the National Police of the region, and district units of the National Police to strengthen the partnership;
- to facilitate the establishment of a Coordination Council at the Main Department of the National Police in Odesa region with the participation of representatives of NGOs and community groups, to develop and adopt the relevant Regulation;
- to establish in communities the institute of a municipal commissioner as a public assistant to the district inspector, to approve the Regulation on the municipal commissioner;
- to establish a Veterans Council and a Youth Council at the Main Department of the National Police of the region, and to facilitate their activities in close cooperation with the Main Department of the National Police, the Foundation and NGOs;

- when developing the next regional programme ‘Safe Odesa Region’, which expires in 2024, provide for broad cooperation in the field of public security between executive authorities, local self-government bodies, the National Police and the Network of Public Formations for the Protection of Public Order and the State Border; provide at least the minimum necessary funding for the activities of the CF in patrolling together with the police; amend the relevant section of Odesa Region Development Strategy;
- to develop and implement a thematic plan for conducting classes on legal education of the population by the network of public formations for the protection of public order and the state border and the National Police, to involve representatives of the PF in military-patriotic classes with pupils and students, including first aid;

- to provide physical education and strengthen the civic patriotism of young people, organise sports and tourist events and introduce them to the historical heritage of the region in the field of combating crime, using, among other things, the capabilities of the People's Museum of Odesa Police;
- jointly with representatives of the juvenile prevention department of the Main Department of the National Police, hold thematic educational hours for students, parental education sessions, meetings with parents of students who need special pedagogical attention;
- to study and disseminate the experience of introducing the institute of community police officers who work and live in these communities, help residents not only in law enforcement, but also in providing first aid to victims of road accidents, are members of the administrative commission, visit families in the area of vulnerable groups together with social workers, help solve crimes and report to the public;

- to study and disseminate the experience of establishing and operating a Security Coordination Office in Tatarbunary, Odesa Oblast, where all community security activities are concentrated in one hub;
- study and adapt to the conditions of Ukraine the foreign experience of cooperation between law enforcement agencies and the public, establish cooperation with international organisations, and organise joint project activities with technical donor assistance;

- In order to increase the effectiveness of participation of public order units in ensuring public order and strengthen their role in these processes, it is proposed to amend and supplement the existing legal acts regulating relations in this area, in particular:

To streamline the terms ‘public order’ and ‘public order’ used in legislative acts by unifying them or clearly distinguishing between them. For example, the term ‘public order’ is used in the Constitution and a number of laws of Ukraine, while the term ‘public order’ is used in the Law of Ukraine ‘On the National Police’ and the Regulation on the National Police approved by the CMU.
The Law ‘On Citizens’ Participation in the Protection of Public Order and the State Border’ assigns control over the activities of civil society groups to a specially created commission on joint activities of the National Police and the public, which should consist of employees of the relevant units of the National Police, the State Border Guard Service, representatives of local executive authorities, local self-government bodies and the Civil Society Foundation.

The Law ‘On Public Self-Organisation Bodies’ should be supplemented with a provision on organising cooperation between CSOs and public order protection groups operating within the territory of CSOs and assisting them in ensuring public order.
To supplement the Regulation on the National Police with the function of participating in the provision of legal and special training for citizens who wish to become members of public order and state border protection groups.
To develop and approve training guidelines at the level of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which should include a list of mandatory competencies that citizens should acquire when using special means and measures of physical influence, forms of training, and a procedure for assessing the level of knowledge and its periodic improvement.
In order to fully implement Article 89 of the Law ‘On the National Police’, it is proposed to supplement the indicators used to assess the level of public trust in the National Police with another indicator: ‘participation with the public in joint projects, programmes and events’.