Ukrainian police complete public order training with EUAM and European Gendarmerie Force support

February 11, 2016
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A one-month public-order training course for police officers concluded on Friday 5 February with the handing over of certificates by the head of all European Union civilian operations, Kenneth Deane, to graduates. Also present at the ceremony were the Head of the Delegation of the EU to Ukraine, Ambassador Jan Tombiński, the Chief of the National Police of Ukraine, Khatia Dekanoidze, and the Head of the EU Advisory Mission Ukraine (EUAM), Kęstutis Lančinskas.

The training comes as part of the cooperation between EUAM and the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs’ (MoIA) new specialised public order sub-branch named ‘Kord’. When this new body was set up last year, the MoIA asked the international community for support.

The training was carried out in cooperation with the European Gendarmerie Force, which trained 29 Ukrainian colleagues in the first two weeks of the course. The 29 Ukrainian trainers then trained around 170 of their colleagues for the remaining two weeks while the European Gendarmes were still present and advising.

“It gives me great pleasure to pay my respect for what you have done during your training and the service you are about to enter for the sake of the people of Ukraine,” said the EU Civilian Operations Commander, Kenneth Deane, at the ceremony. “The European Union is proud to be your partner and part of both your present and your future. Today we are only at the beginning of a journey between the EU and the Ukrainian Police.”

The training focused on European best practice in peaceful assembly, emphasising in particular techniques to prevent situations from escalating – above all, techniques to avoid violence. It will be followed by future training programmes that EUAM is already planning with the MoIA.