Deputy interior minister: National police force could be set up in Ukraine by 2015

The Ukrainian militia could be reformed by 2015 into a national police force of Ukraine, which would ensure the fulfillment of main law enforcement functions, Ukrainian First Deputy Interior Minister Serhiy Chernykh has said.

At a meeting of the parliamentary committee on legislative support for law enforcement activity on Thursday, Chernykh spoke about the ministry's vision for reforming the country's law enforcement system.

"It would be expedient to start reforming the [Interior] Ministry at the first stage from the creation of a national police of Ukraine as a central executive government body, whose activity will be directed and coordinated by the Cabinet of Ministers through the Ukrainian interior minister," he said.

He said that in order to reform the Interior Ministry into a national police, first and foremost, it is necessary to change the existing law on militia or adopt a new law – on the police.

"A national police force of Ukraine will ensure the fulfillment of law enforcement functions that are currently fulfilled by the structural subdivisions of the Interior Ministry," he said, noting that the issue concerns public safety, crime prevention, the protection of human rights and freedoms, as well as the investigation of crimes and road traffic safety.

"It is also proposed to introduce financial police in the composition of the national police force, which will focus all functions on combating economic crime, assuming the functions of other law enforcement agencies," Chernykh said.

Thus, he said, the national police force will be composed of criminal police, civil security police, financial police, and transport and special police.

"The creation of such a body [the national police force of Ukraine] will help change the system of evaluation of the ministry's activity, ensure an effective mechanism of control over the activity of the police, release the police from the fulfillment of unusual functions, and help reduce the number of senior officials and ensure the full certification of personnel," Chernykh said.

At the second stage of the reform of law enforcement agencies, he said, it is planned to create the state bureau of investigation and reform the internal forces of Ukraine.

To achieve these objectives, he said, it would be expedient to draw up a program for reforming law enforcement agencies, which will be ensured by the legal framework and proper funding.

"The practical stage of the reform is to be implemented in 2013-2015," he said.