Rada supports law on military police
19 June 2024 14:56
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has supported in the first reading a bill on the creation of a military police. This was announced by MP from the European Solidarity parliamentary faction Oleksiy Honcharenko, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
Thedraft law was submitted by MPs from the ruling Servant of the People faction and the Trust group.
It provides for the creation of a military police, a military formation with law enforcement functions. The activities of the military police are to be coordinated by the Cabinet of Ministers through the Minister of Defence. During the legal regime of martial law or a state of emergency, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces will provide overall leadership and coordination of the military police.
Thestructure of the military police will include: a central management body, territorial management bodies, special purpose centres, training centres and disciplinary battalions.
The body will also be responsible for recording crimes, searching for and detaining servicemen, and protecting the rights of servicemen in accordance with NATO standards.
The police will be led by a chief who will be appointed and dismissed by the president on the proposal of the Minister of Defence, and during martial law – on the proposal of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
The tasks of the military police, according to the draft law, will be:
1) prevention, detection and suppression of criminal and administrative offences in the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the State Special Transport Service;
2) proceedings in cases of administrative offences falling within the competence of the Military Police;
3) operational and investigative activities in cases and on the grounds determined by law;
4) ensuring law and order and military discipline among servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the State Special Transport Service, persons liable for military service and reservists during training, in places of deployment of military units, institutions of professional higher military education, higher military educational institutions, military educational units of higher educational institutions, institutions and organisations, at military facilities, military camps, as well as on streets and in public places, at railway stations (railway stations), in sea transport
5) preventive and prophylactic activities aimed at preventing the commission of criminal and other offences in the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the State Special Transport Service;
6) protection of the life, health, rights and legitimate interests of servicemen and women, as well as persons liable for military service and reservists during their training;
7) protection of state property from unlawful encroachments;
8) enforcement of administrative penalties and punishments for criminal offences against servicemen and women of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the State Special Transport Service, other military formations and law enforcement agencies;
9) control over the implementation of legislation on road safety by drivers when using vehicles of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the State Special Transport Service and other military formations (hereinafter referred to as military vehicles);
10) to ensure the fulfilment of other tasks on national security in the military sphere, in the sphere of defence in peacetime and in a special period, as defined by law.
Oleksiy Honcharenko said that the legislative initiative No. 6569-d was supported by 247 votes of MPs.
MPfrom the European Solidarity parliamentary faction, Iryna Gerashchenko , said that European Solidarity voted against the document, noting that it “creates another repressive body”.
“Given that there are no military courts or military prosecutors in Ukraine, the military police will be another punitive force against the military and police themselves. Without the right to defence in a military court, where they would have to consider such cases of war crimes and offences. The military police will be recruited from the Armed Forces and will not exceed 1.5 per cent of their number. The personnel will consist of military personnel, civil servants and employees. We are against it. We believe that the Armed Forces of Ukraine have enough to do at the front today,”
– she said.
Currently, the army has a unit that performs military police functions – the Military Law Enforcement Service (MLS). The activities of this body are currently regulated by internal documents of the Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defence. The functions of the VSP are limited, but the new draft law will give the military police more powers.
