Notoriously corrupt and violent, the Ukrainian police are perhaps the last people you would expect to find stopping for selfies with the public.

But that is exactly what hundreds of new, attractive recruits have been told to do as part of their 'reformed service' which launched today.

And it appears to be working, as the officers have become a viral hit since taking to the streets, with their selfies trending on Twitter and Facebook.

From Ukraine, with love: 2,000 new police officers have taken to the streets of Kiev today in an attempt to reform the country's police force (pictured, a female officer hands flowers to an injured man)

Photogenic police: Attractive new officers have been encouraged to take selfies with members of the public as part of a PR drive to win back trust, and the images have since gone viral

Ello, ello, ello: Interior Minister Arsen Avakov has been working to reform the police since a government survey revealed just 3 per cent of the public trusted them

Since the revolution which ousted Viktor Yanukovich last year, Ukraine has been desperately trying to restore trust in its police force.

A recent government poll showed just 3 per cent of Ukrainians trusted officers, while videos have circulated online showing traffic cops brazenly taking bribes from drivers they have stopped.

Worse still, large numbers of police were involved on the violent crackdown on protesters in Independence Square last year, shortly before Yanukovich was driven from power.

In the country's east, which is largely controlled by pro-Russian gunmen as well as Russian troops operating off the radar, there have even been reports of corrupt officers helping Putin's men to establish a foothold there.

In an attempt to turn things around, Interior Minister Arsen Avakov has been firing older officers by the thousand in order to bring in fresh blood.

Cheeky: Avakov has since replaced a total of 2,000 officers in Kiev alone, half of the city's force, in the hopes of getting a fresh start

Happy: According to reports, the new cops have often left better paying jobs in order to join the police, driven instead by a genuine desire to make things better

It's a hit: Images of the police posing with the public have since gone viral, with the new officers proving so popular one cafe in Kiev is offering them free hot drinks

In the southern region of Mykolaiv, widely touted as having one of the most corrupt forces in the country, he fired the local department in its entirety, turfing 300 police out of their jobs.

In the capital Kiev, which has debuted the new-look police force today, he cut the force in half, sacking and replacing 2,000 officers.

According to Bloomberg, the new officers - a quarter of whom are female - have often left better paid positions to work on the street, but are driven by the spirit of the recent revolution and a desire to make a difference.

Trained by U.S. and Canadian policing experts, their role is not just to keep the public safe, but to keep an eye on the 'traditional' police as well.

Positive: While videos of traffic cops taking bribes used to be common in Ukraine, they have now been replaced with images such as this one

Saying hello: Ukraine's leaders as well as the heads of Kiev's police force wave to the camera in front of thousands of new recruits which have just joined the force

Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko, who is also a professional boxer, addresses new recruits as they take an oath before being allowed out on to the streets

Antin Mukharskiy, a well known TV personality in Ukraine, said a collection of older officers were shouting and swearing outside his window, before a new patrol arrived, the BBC reports.

He said: 'A patrol arrived in three minutes and traditional policemen started to disperse like elementary school students.

'When my wife thanked [the new officers] from the balcony, they replied: "From now on, we will always take care of you."'

The new officers have proved so popular that, as well as taking pictures with the more attractive recruits, a cafe in central Kiev has announced it will be giving them free hot drinks.