A presentation of the functional model CustodyRecords, used by the police authority for the improvement of the compliance with standards of rights protection of detained persons took place at Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs on the basis of military training area “Training Police Department”.
Ruslan Horiachenko, Head of the Human Rights Department of the National Police of Ukraine, Andrii Rubel Head of the MDNP of Ukraine in Kharkiv Region, Yurii Bielousov, Head of Special General Prosecutor Office’s Department dealing with ill-treatment and other serious human rights violations by law-enforcement, Oleksandr Baranov, acting Director of Coordination Center for Free Secondary Legal Aid Provision, Stanislav Muratov, Deputy Head of Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor Office, Oleh Honcharenko, Head of the Supervision Department over Observance of Laws in the implementation of judicial decisions in criminal proceedings, other enforcement measures in custody and probation of Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor Office, representatives of the International Renaissance Foundation of the program “Human Rights and Justice”, Ukrainian Legal Aid Foundation, Dmytro Shvets, the First Vice-Rector of the University, Serhii Bortnyk, rector of the university, Oleksandr Muzychuk and Oleksandr Morhunov, Deans of the Faculties No. 1 and No. 3, teaching staff, etc. reviewed military training area and discussed the relevance of implementation of modern informational telecommunication system.
The electronic fixation of all actions with regard to the detainee and a search for information about detainees under police control from the moment of actual detention is made and a mandatory interview on arrival at the police station is recorded by means of the system. As Dmytro Shvets has noted, the application of this information and telecommunication system had also led to a need forinnovation of approaches to the training of cadets and refresher courses for police practitioners. Infrastructural changes were introduced to the arrangement of the “Training Police Department” and the premises were renovated, such as a reception room, police dispatch center with equipped workplace for the Commissioner for the observance of Human Rights, video surveillance of all areas of the police department without exception was configured; an interview room; a room (area) to wait for communication with the official responsible for detainees;a room for a confidential meeting with a lawyer, equipped with a video camera, however, it does not record the audio of a conversation; an investigative action room for carrying out primary measures for detained persons; a room for detainees, equipped with a video camera.“Using the capabilities of Custody Records in the educational process,” stressed Dmytro Shvets, “will allow cadets and students to form an image and obtain the necessary knowledge complex in mastering the skill of system use, namely: to acquire the skills of creating a unified electronic dossier on a detained person; to record all aspects related to a person’s detention; to ensure compliance with the basic guarantees provided to detainees.”
According to Ruslan Horiachenko, Head of the Human Rights Department of the National Police of Ukraine, “Custody Records is an advanced European practice that helps protect human rights. The main purpose of the subsystem is precise control which helps to prevent inappropriate behavior of police officers towards detainees or visitors of a police department, and at the same time protects police officers from possible provocations. The gradual implementation of this subsystem is one of our priorities today.”
Since February this year, the system has been successfully piloted at the police department No. 1 of the Kharkiv District Police Department No. 1. The next step for the MDNP in Kharkiv region will be the equipment of other divisions with the system. According to Andrii Rubel, Head of the MDNP in Kharkiv region, “10 police units have been chosen in the region, where the Custody Records system should work by the end of the year. Repair work on premises arrangement, where the system will be installed, is carrying out. Step by step, we are moving towards raising the standards of the citizens’ and policemen’s rights protection. The MDNP in Kharkiv region has become the first agency of the National Police which will implement the Custody Records system into the territorial divisions’ work,” the head of the regional police emphasized.
Dmytro Shvets thanked the management of the National Police, the International Renaissance Foundation, the Ukrainian Legal Aid Foundation for the opportunity to create, at Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs, the information and telecommunication system Custody Records for quality police training.
Department of Public Relations of Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs
