Head of Ukraine’s National Police explains necessity of ‘presumption of rightness of police officer’

The package of legislative changes, which is being prepared by the National Police of Ukraine, will include the provision on prohibition to leave a car stopped by the police, responsibility for verbal abuse of a police officer, an increase in pre-trial detention term.

Head of the National Police of Ukraine Khatia Dekanoidze said this to reporters on Tuesday after the presentation of launch of training sessions for local police officers and inspectors of the Kyiv region, Interfax-Ukraine reports.

“The package of legislative changes, which we are preparing now and will soon submit to the Cabinet and the Verkhovna Rada, will include not only one direction (the presumption of rightness of police officers), but other directions as well. We have prepared a number of changes, and I hope that the Verkhovna Rada will vote for them,” Dekanoidze said.

The Head of the Ukrainian National Police explained the need for legislative securing the presumption of rightness of a police officer by a number of factors, in particular, unwillingness to obey the police when stopped for an identity check and during the public events.

“Many people deliberately provoke police, record video, then post this video on YouTube and social networks… During the public events, people, even officials, hinder the police and do not obey the police, since the police mean nothing for them now,” Dekanoidze complained.

“First you have to obey, comply with all the instructions given by the police, and then we will deal with the matter through the prosecutor’s office and the court,” the Head of the National Police said.

She also spoke in favor of using shockers by police officers. “It is also a standard. They can be used,” she said.

As reported, the Interior Ministry is going to submit to the Parliament a package of laws to expand the rights of the police on the principle of “presumption of rightness of police officers.”