Councillors in Voznesensk are being asked to allocate ₴3.5 million for a system to record police activities

The Custody Records system used by the police. Photo: National Police of Ukraine

The Voznesensk District Police Department is proposing to refurbish part of the building and introduce a Custody Records system to protect the rights of detainees and law enforcement officers. The total cost of the project is 26 million hryvnias. The National Police have allocated half of the sum, and the remainder is being sought from local communities in the district.

This was discussed during the 90th session of the Voznesensk City Council on 15 May, according to NikVesti.

During the meeting, the head of the Voznesensk District Police Department, Oleksandr Havrylenko, appealed to councillors to allocate co-funding for the introduction of the Custody Records system.

«This is not a favour for the police, nor is it our demand or some whim. It is one of the prerequisites for Ukraine’s accession to the European Union,» said Oleksandr Havrylenko.

Custody Records is an electronic subsystem that records all actions concerning a detained person and the police officers themselves, to protect against unfounded accusations by the detainee.

Olena Mizetska, Senior Inspector for Human Rights at the Voznesensk District Police Department, explained that Custody Records must be in place in every police department. She noted that the system has already been introduced in 148 units across Ukraine, with a target of 514.

For now, the stations have interview rooms. All communication with detainees is recorded on body cameras, but according to EU standards, there must be fixed, round-the-clock video surveillance: audio and video recording. For example, in the room for communication with a lawyer, there must be video recording, but without sound, as this would be a breach of confidentiality.

«The aim of the system is to ensure a safe environment, to create safe conditions within police units for all parties involved, as well as to protect human rights from potential unlawful actions by police officers and to protect police officers themselves from unfounded accusations. The active roll-out of the system has been ongoing since 2016,» noted Olena Mizetska.

According to her, EU standards also require separate rooms for both police officers and lawyers to communicate with detainees. The entire Custody Records system is automated and tracks the detainee’s journey from the moment they are brought to the police station to the temporary detention centre.

«In terms of zoning, these must be separate rooms. The first room, like a lobby, is the Custody Records area itself, where a person is brought to the local police station and their details are recorded, including who they are and the grounds for their detention. Next is the room where the detainee is interviewed by a human rights inspector. There is also a confidential room for communication with a defence lawyer. A separate room is provided for investigative procedures. Video surveillance must operate 24/7. The import system is a database that must operate continuously. When a person is brought in, we record the details and enter them into our database. The key point is that the video is stored for 25 years. In other words, all the key details of the detained person are entered into this system and remote monitoring is carried out. Monitoring can be done from both Mykolaiv and Kyiv,» the police officer explained.

The police CCTV system. Photo: National Police of Ukraine

Meanwhile, detainees are taking legal action over violations of their rights.

«We currently have 144 detainees in our district police department, of whom 20 have filed complaints regarding violations of their rights,» noted Olena Mizetska.

Oleksandr Havrylenko, head of the Voznesensk District Police Department, explained that there are currently cases where detainees inflict injuries on themselves and then blame the police for this. They file claims with the European Court of Human Rights, and Ukraine is required to pay them compensation.

«Ukraine loses a large number of cases in the European courts. And the result is having to pay out huge sums of money. Why is this happening? Because, according to one of the principles of the European Court of Human Rights, it is the state’s responsibility to prove that it has not violated human rights, rather than the citizen having to prove that their rights have been violated,» noted Oleksandr Havrylenko.

The Custody Records system currently provides for the storage of video recordings for 25 years, with plans to extend this period to 50 years in the future. This means that the video can be presented as evidence in court.

Speech by police representatives at a session of the Voznesensk City Council. Screenshot of the broadcast

According to Oleksandr Havrylenko, a project was drawn up last year to refurbish part of the building housing the district police headquarters. Its implementation will require 26 million hryvnias.

«The National Police will cover 13 million hryvnias, and we are asking our communities for another 13 million,» the police officer noted.

Voznesensk is being asked for 3.5 million hryvnias in co-funding. The remainder is to be provided by the district’s communities, of which there are 13. Oleksandr Havrylenko noted that the sum is substantial, so it could be allocated in instalments and designated as transitional funding. Overall, the project is planned to be completed within 1.5–2 years. So far, councillors have not allocated the funds.

Read also the report by NikVesti on the session of the Voznesensk City Council. In particular, councillors made amendments to the budget, approved housing vouchers for IDPs and received a request from the police regarding co-funding of the Custody Records system at the local police station. They also discussed once again the need to increase water tariffs.