Behind every police officer’s demand to stop a vehicle, end a fight or present documents lies the duty to ensure public order and the safety of people. Yet even a routine call can at times turn into resistance, threats and assault. Under any circumstances a police officer must act lawfully, maintain composure and be accountable for the decisions taken. At the same time, the officer himself needs reliable, timely, accessible and effective protection.

These issues were the focus of a round-table discussion on the topic “Legal Regulation of the Protection of Internal Affairs Officers: Problems and Directions for Improvement,” held under the auspices of the Almaty Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan named after Makan Yesbulatov. The meeting was attended by representatives of the senior management of the Department of Internal Security of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, personnel officers of district police departments of Almaty, lawyers and notaries. This format of dialogue with the participation of stakeholders and the expert community made it possible to analyse service practice, discuss the experience of providing legal assistance and determine how well the existing protection mechanisms meet the real circumstances and needs of police service.

For the Academy, work in this area is an important part of its scientific activity and includes the study of law-enforcement problems in order to find new approaches and concrete proposals for improving legislation and the organisation of service.

In their everyday professional activity police officers face situations whose outcome is difficult to predict. A family conflict, the detention of an offender, maintaining order at a mass event — all of these require concentration and the ability to rapidly assess the situation. Moreover, the aggression of an offender may be directed against the officer himself.

Citing such facts, the participants of the round table drew attention to cases of insults, threats, physical violence and damage to uniform. It was noted that behind each such incident there are not only circumstances requiring legal assessment, but also a law enforcement officer who needs assistance.

As is well known, upon entering service a police officer assumes responsibility for the safety of others. At the same time, the state must ensure the protection of the officer so that he can perform his duties of maintaining public order without fear of the consequences of unlawful attacks on his life and health.

Among the opinions expressed at the event, noteworthy was the proposal on the advisability of developing a unified inter-agency algorithm for responding to threats against internal affairs officers.

This would help make the process clearer and more effective, including the procedure for registering a report, transmitting information to authorised units, assessing the danger and taking the necessary security measures. At the same time, it is no less important to establish specific responsibility for the performance of each stage.

Separate attention is required by the criteria for assessing threats. What matters is not only their content, but also their recurrence, source, circumstances of receipt and connection with the officer’s official activity. A formal approach to such reports may result in the time for preventing an attack being lost.

Protection must begin at the first signs of danger. And the timeliness and effectiveness of that protection depend on how quickly and coordinatedly the responsible services act.

ASSISTANCE AFTER AN ATTACK

And if an attack nevertheless occurs, its consequences are not limited to physical injuries alone. The entire process of treatment and rehabilitation, as well as the restoration of damaged personal belongings or property, is often associated with material costs. In addition, such incidents and the experienced threat frequently affect the psychological state of the officer, his relations with close ones and his readiness to return to full-fledged service.

The participants of the discussion emphasised the need for systemic medical, psychological and legal assistance to injured police officers. It is important for an officer to understand where to turn, who will accompany his case and how issues of health recovery and compensation for the damage caused are resolved.

It should be taken into account that psychological support requires particular tact. After a dangerous incident a person does not always immediately realise the severity of what has been experienced. Therefore assistance should not be limited to a single conversation. The duration of moral and psychological recovery and the content of the entire complex of treatment procedures must be determined individually, taking into account the officer’s condition and the recommendations of specialists.

Such a manifestation of care for the injured person is also important for the entire unit. The attitude towards a colleague who finds himself in a difficult situation will show the personnel how reliable official guarantees are in practice, in real life.

PUBLICITY AND RESPONSIBILITY

A separate discussion unfolded around publications on social networks. A video recording of a police officer’s actions may draw attention to a problem, help establish the circumstances of an incident and become grounds for further verification. At the same time, a fragmentary presentation of material taken out of context, inaccurate captions and the deliberate creation of a conflict situation can distort the perception of what occurred.

Taking these nuances into account, a proposal was voiced during the round table to consider the legal aspects of liability for the discrediting of the activities of law-enforcement bodies. It was recognised that this issue requires thorough legal elaboration: it is necessary to clearly distinguish the dissemination of knowingly false information, threats and other unlawful actions from reasoned criticism, citizens’ appeals and good-faith coverage of events.

The legal protection of the police and public control should strengthen trust in the law. This is unequivocal. Yet at the same time, the precision of legal formulations, the objective verification of circumstances and the timely informing of society are important, for the more convincing the established facts, the less room remains for conjecture.

RESPECT FOR THE LAW IS FORMED IN DIALOGUE

The participants of the meeting noted the need for consistent explanatory work with the population and the raising of its legal awareness. It is important for citizens to know what powers a police officer is vested with, what the limits of his demands are, how his actions can be appealed and why threats or violence are unacceptable in any disagreements.

In this regard, work with young people acquires particular importance, as their perception of the police is formed from personal experience, communication and publications on the Internet. Meetings with officers, discussion of concrete life situations and open answers to questions help form a legal culture based on an understanding of mutual rights and obligations.

The practical content of the principle “Law and Order” is manifested in everyday relations between a citizen and a representative of authority. Here the lawfulness of a police officer’s actions, respect for human dignity and a consistent reaction to unlawful behaviour are necessary.

The discussion showed that strengthening the legal protection of internal affairs officers requires coordinated decisions: from the prevention of threats to the accompaniment of the injured person, as well as the improvement of legislation and law-enforcement practice. A police officer must be confident that, when conscientiously performing his duties, he will, if necessary, receive appropriate support. For society, such confidence means the stability and sustainability of the service on which the life, health and safety of people depend every day.

Dmitry YEREMEYEV,
Deputy Head of the Almaty Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs named after M. Yesbulatov,
Candidate of Legal Sciences, Associate Professor,
Police Colonel