The Council of Europe continues its support to the National Police of Ukraine in implementation of human rights standards and prevention of torture and ill-treatment within law enforcement.
On 14 March 2024 in the city of Lutsk, Volyn region, the Head of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine, Mr. Maciej Janczak, and the Deputy Head of the National Police of Ukraine, Mr. Henadiy Fedoriuk, visited the police unit where Custody Records system was just set-up with the Council of Europe support. This is the 95th out of 446 police units all around Ukraine that need to be covered by the system.
The system records all actions of law enforcers with detained persons while they are under state control and it includes such components as human rights inspectors, police unit zoning (service zone/Custody Records zone), 24/7 video-surveillance system integrated with information sub-system Custody Records of the information system of the National Police and external monitoring. Equipment and software for this system in Lutsk police unit was provided by the Council.
During the Custody Records system opening and presentation, simulated detention scenario allowed to demonstrate to all those present the technical and procedural aspects of police work with detained persons, including all stages the detainees undergo in such units from the moment of their arrival under police control and on.
“It's better to see once than to hear a thousand times – this is how I would describe my impressions”, said Mr. Maciej Janczak after the presentation.
The Custody Records system opening was followed by a round table, where representatives of the National Police, Ombudsperson’s Office, Office of the Government Agent, free legal aid, judiciary, prosecution, public authorities and local self-governance bodies discussed human rights standards in police activity in the context of system functioning, including its achievements, challenges and prospects.
"Since 2016 when we started system implementation, we have been recording considerable decrease in complains filed with regard to police actions with detained persons. The Plan of Government Actions for 2024 foresees setting-up at least 50 police units with Custody Records system and we keep rolling it out with all possible endeavors despite the ongoing war, but it is really challenging without the assistance of our international partners and of the Council of Europe on which we very much rely”, said Mr. Henadiy Fedoriuk
The Head of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine underlined that “The way the system and its processes are designed to work – all these have a very high potential of being very effective in combatting ill-treatment. But, however effective the infrastructure of the Custody Records system is, the professionals behind it are still at its heart. Without them the system would be nothing but an equipped and well-structured space. It is thus of crucial importance to pursue respective training for all professionals working in respective units and those authorized to detain persons on the standards of prevention, combatting and effective investigation into alleged ill-treatment, on recommendations, standards and tools of the European Committee for Prevention of Torture and Ill-Treatment, policy of zero tolerance, standards of the European Convention on Human Rights. Further scaled-up and uninterrupted training of human rights inspectors and police officers is paramount and I would like to reassure you, dear partners, that the Council stands ready to provide the necessary capacity building in the complex with further considered support to equipping more units with the system”
Mr. Ruslan Horiachenko, Head of the Department of Main Inspection and Human Rights, focused on the role of human rights inspectors within the mechanism of the Custody Records system: “The human rights inspectors are the agents of change and connection between the citizens and the police. They need a lot of support as the network will expand with more Custody Records units to be opened. Their role cannot be overestimated and is indeed central to promoting adherence to human rights standards within the National Police”
Round table participants outlined key system implementation challenges, such as the need for prompt coverage of all police units with the system to ensure human rights are homogeneously ensured all around Ukraine - the particularly challenging need to meet during war; the need to further advocate with the free legal aid system introduction of automated exchange of information between the Custody Records system and free legal aid centers, so as to ensure prompt access to lawyer, collection of reliable quantitative and qualitative data as to system progress and effectiveness.
The visit was concluded with bilateral meeting of the Deputy Head of the National Police of Ukraine and the Head of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine where both parties acknowledged the challenges the National Police is facing daily in the face of the ongoing war of aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine and the cooperation between institutions that covers capacity building for investigators, human rights inspectors, institutional support in the context of personal data processing standards, joint efforts in the sphere of child-friendly justice and policing, countering discrimination, hate speech, ensuring rights of national minorities, Roma, LGBTI+, gender equality, barrier-free environment and other. Further tight cooperation towards 2025-2026 was outlined and reconfirmed as well.
The endeavors are a part of the Council of Europe Project “Strengthening Ukrainian Law Enforcement Agencies During War and Post-War Period”.
