Some issues of improving the activities of the National Police of Ukraine and local self-government bodies regarding law enforcement at the local level under martial law

Abstract

The publication highlights the issues of improving the organisation of the work of community police officers and district police inspectors in preventing and combating crime in the territory of service. The importance of implementing security audits of territories and buildings into the activities of community police officers and district police inspectors is proved. Security audits are the main tool that community police officers or district police inspectors can use to identify local security problems specific to a particular area or facilities, identify ways to address relevant risks and threats, and engage all stakeholders in working together to improve their own and others’ safety. The essence of the concept of “Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED)” and its impact on the formation of a proper state of the security environment at the local level of the community is revealed. It is emphasised that the CPTED principles are universal and can be applied to improve the security of any territory or facility. At the same time, their effectiveness largely depends on the completeness of the identification of security risks and threats. The article suggests the following areas for improvement of the regulatory and legal support for the activities of community police officers: 1) adoption of a separate regulatory legal act on the activities of district police officers, taking into account the peculiarities of police work in the city; 2) approval of instructions on the procedure for carrying out control and supervision activities in the service area. This regulatory act should provide for the forms of such files, the procedure for their completion, registration, verification and control; 3) inclusion of individual cases on security audits of the territory or individual buildings or facilities in the official records of a community police officer. Relevant security audit forms should be officially approved; 4) adoption of methodological recommendations for organising security audits and applying the principles of CPTED (Crime Prevention through Environmental Design) in professional activities.

Keywords

• security environment
• national police
• community police officer
• civil society
• security
• audit
• territory.