The first "Open Police" creative space in Mariupol aims to strengthen public safety, increase public confidence in the police, and foster cooperation between the police and citizens

Mariupol, Donetsk Oblast, 27 April 2021 – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine, with the support of the governments of Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland, has created the first "Open Police" creative space to foster cooperation between the police and citizens.

The modern, fully equipped police hub, which is freely accessible to citizens is designed for holding public discussions, events and training sessions.

The “Open Police” creative space brings together the police, the public, local authorities and international partners to enable law enforcement to better understand community needs and to implement human rights policies more flexibly and effectively. The new hub will help improve the quality of police services and will be a place where citizens and police will work together on creating a safe local environment.

At a meeting of the expert council on innovations of the Main Department of National Police of Ukraine in Donetsk Oblast to mark the opening of the hub, Deputy Chief of Police of Donetsk Oblast Oleksii Shevchenko noted the importance of international cooperation in the implementation of security projects and stressed the need for such police hubs.

"Donetsk police are always open to cooperation with the community, and we are extremely inspired by the fact that our partners trust us,” Shevchenko said. “We have a common goal – security, and it is thanks to this strong support that more such creative spaces could open in other cities."

The hub was created under a joint project of the NGO "Donetsk Oblast Women Council", NGO "Mariupol Development Fund" and Mariupol City Council, implemented under the UN Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme (UN RPP).

UN RPP Programme Manager Victor Munteanu praised the joint efforts of the public and law enforcement agencies in creating the security space and stressed the importance of building effective cooperation in public security issues focused on community needs.

"We continue to work systematically to support the security initiatives of citizens in eastern Ukraine,” Munteanu said. “The creation of the ‘Open Police’ creative space is an ambitious idea that shows the effectiveness of cooperation between the police, civil society organisations and local authorities."

"Such cooperation promotes a productive dialogue between all actors in the field of public safety, and increases public confidence in law enforcement agencies. And the trust of citizens in the police is the main criterion for assessing the work of law enforcement."

As part of project, 15 police officers were selected for a three-day training course on peaceful conflict resolution, tolerance and nonviolent communication, instructed by experts from the Donetsk Law Institute.

The “Open Police” creative space was co-financed by the UN Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme (using UAH 2,231,880 (U.S. $79,710) of funding from the governments of Denmark, Switzerland and Sweden), along with Mariupol City Council and NGO “Donetsk Oblast Women Council” (UAH 2,767,324 or U.S. $98,833). Additional purchases of UAH 355,208 (US$ 12,686) worth of equipment for the hub were funded by the European Union Advisory Mission.

Background

The United Nations Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme (UN RPP) is being implemented by four United Nations agencies: the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO).

Twelve international partners support the Programme: the European Union (EU), the European Investment Bank (EIB), the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, and the governments of Canada, Denmark, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden & Switzerland.

Media enquiries

Maksym Kytsiuk, Communications Specialist, UN Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme, maksym.kytsiuk@undp.org, +380 63 576 1839