On August 4 2015 the President of Ukraine Petr Poroshenko signed the Law on the police in Ukraine. However, it’s been a month since the new police appeared and worked in Kiev. The President Poroshenko, the Minister of MIA of Ukraine Arsen Avakov and another political beau monde didn’t dole out praise first of all to themselves while presenting the new police with great pomp. They were talking once again about the reforms which wallowed in corruption Ukraine needs so much, and they called the new police almost the leader of approaching reforms.

Undoubtedly, it’s a good sign, but is it possible to call this event a reform? New policemen (1916 people in Kiev) are young men and women who were selected and prepared by experienced instructors, including foreign ones. They are good-looking, polite, with a friendly look, they don’t accept bribes (the minimum salary of a new policeman is UAH 8’000 per month), they are always ready to help unlike the previous militia, and they have a sexy uniform.

It’s great! Nevertheless, it’s just a small stroke, not a complete reform. They show only the visible part of an iceberg to the Ukrainians and foreign sponsors. No reforms are being held inside the MIA system in Ukraine! Among the highest ruling branch there are the same bribable people who are in charge of the bribable staff.

There were many notorious cases in Ukraine when the militia, public prosecutors and court workers acted in the interests of «customers». One of them took place in 2008 when the son of an influential businessman and government official being intoxicated by alcohol committed an accident which caused someone’s death.

Of course the influential father payed much money to the militia as well as to the judges who didn’t see corpus delicti and acquitted the murderer. Of course it couldn’t be the reason why he wasn’t able to participate in the elections after Maidan in 2014.

Reader, you have to understand that «dirty» militia work became an ordinary thing long ago. You won’t surprise the society here with the news that somebody was subjected to tortures or humiliation being forced to confess crimes which they didn’t commit, that militia workers can forge criminal cases with the help of which they take business away from entrepreneurs or in such a way make them sell their business and other assets in order to close these «cases». To say nothing about such a «small» extortion on the roads of Ukraine which has been a Ukrainian «visiting card» for the whole civilized automobile world for a long time. (Video)

I propose you to acquaint yourself with the recent case which took place in Odessa (29.07.15) as the latest example.

This example demonstrates properly that old methods of work are applied actively and nothing has changed. It hasn’t changed even after appointment of new head of Department of Home Affairs Administration of Odessa region Georgiy Lordkipanidze. (Georgiy Lordkipanidze was appointed by personal reference of Mikhail Saakashvili). It is not the matter of his professional skills as the new chief of militia in Odessa region or his unwillingness to change the situation with corruption in his department. The matter is that it can’t bring success without significant increase of his workers’ salary (Mr Lordkipanidze said in one of his interviews that increase of salaries of his workers is currently not being expected) and the real punishment for those who keep on accepting bribes. The average salary of a militia worker in Ukraine is about UAH 3’000 per month (data for 2013, according to available information, this number hasn’t changed on the date of writing of this article). When one of the workers is caught accepting bribes, he can be dismissed as a maximum. At the same time he will work again in the MIA department in a few months if he gives a bribe. (see here and here)

What will happen if tomorrow the salaries of militia workers are increased? Do the Ukrainians have a right to reckon on a positive result? My answer is no! And I see the problem in the fact that current militia workers have been steeped in corruption for years of working in the MIA. Even if their average salary becomes UAH 23’000 per month (USD 1’000) tomorrow, they won’t be able to resist the temptation to accept the bribe of USD 10’000. They got accustomed to using premium cars for USD 100’000 and living in houses for USD 200’000. It’s not the matter of the minister and his deputies, but of regional heads and their employees who live and work not far from Kiev. It is vitally important for Ukraine to get rid of the old militia cadres and be engaged in creating the new police on all levels, but not to revel in local achievements in public. It is the same as if you had an old car with depreciated parts. Even if you renew some parts, it will never come up with a new automobile and will always let you down. You shouldn’t regret this old trash even if some good memories are associated with it… To drive a broken car is DANGEROUS for you and other road users!

P.S. For the last month 12 new policemen have been dismissed, two of them for sleeping in car.

It would be interesting to hear Mr Avakov’s comments on these revelations.

(yg)

[post in Russian]