Compliance with the principle of human rights and freedoms in the activities of the national police

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of the current state of compliance with the principle of human rights and freedoms in the activities of the National Police of Ukraine. Based on the results of the analysis, it was established that the current state of human rights compliance by the police indicates the presence of systemic problems in the relevant area that require urgent solutions. Ukraine, as a democratic and legal state, has established the principles of respect and inviolability of human rights and freedoms, the approval and provision of which is the main duty of the state. For this purpose, the state is obliged to introduce legal regulation that meets the constitutional norms and principles necessary to ensure the realization of the rights and freedoms of every person. At the same time, certain constitutional values, in particular the inviolability of a person as a guarantee against encroachments on the rights and freedoms of other persons, require strengthened guarantees of their protection. Such a constitutional guarantee derives primarily from the principle of human rights as the basis of the constitutional order in Ukraine, provided for by the provisions of Article 3 of the Constitution of Ukraine. In fulfillment of the requirements of the Basic Law, the state must implement in its activities the constitutional principle of its responsibility to the person, which consists in the state’s duty to ensure the protection of human rights as pan-European values.Police officers, while ensuring and protecting the rights and freedoms of a person and a citizen provided for by the Constitution of Ukraine, are at the same time potential violators of these rights and freedoms, because they are empowered to apply coercive and punitive measures. But the main purpose of their activity is not only to stop crimes. The police must act as guarantors of the protection of the legitimate interests of citizens, protection of the honor and dignity of the person. In this regard, one of the fundamental principles of law enforcement should be the principle of the rule of law. Violation of human rights causes irreparable damage to the authority of the police, undermines the level of trust in them.