The current state and ways of optimizing the legal regulation of the activities of the National Police of Ukraine regarding the investigation of criminal offenses permitted by minors

Abstract

The current provisions of the legal regulation of the activities of the units of the National Police of Ukraine regarding the investigation of criminal offenses have been updated. It is noted that significant changes have taken place in Ukraine, which have established the procedure for criminal proceedings against minors, which is determined by both the general rules and the specifics provided for by Chapter 38 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine (hereinafter the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine). Taking into account European practice, these norms of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine in the process of pre-trial investigation grant more rights to minors and their representatives. Peculiarities arising in the process of criminal proceedings against minors, which are determined by the norms of criminal procedural legislation, are determined. Legal problems in the activities of the National Police of Ukraine units regarding the organizational and tactical features of conducting covert investigative (search) actions, which need to be resolved at the legislative and departmental levels, are highlighted. It has been proven that the lack of interdepartmental legal regulation of certain issues of interaction between authorized units has a negative impact on the detection, promptness of response and effective investigation of criminal offenses committed by minors. Proposals have been developed to improve the criminal procedural and investigative legislation regarding the investigation of criminal offenses committed by minors, by: a) coordinating the efforts of all interested central and local executive bodies, public organizations and, of course, families within the framework of a single partnership program, which can be reflected in the updated Concept of the development of criminal justice for minors in Ukraine, in particular in terms of increasing the level of protection of their rights; b) normalization between the provisions of Article 5 of the Law of Ukraine “On Bodies and Services for Children’s Affairs and Special Institutions for Children” with the provisions of the Law of Ukraine “On Operational Investigative Activities”, the Instruction on the organization of covert investigative (search) actions and the use of their results in criminal proceedings, and the norms provided for by Chapters 21 and 38 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine in terms of organizational and tactical features of conducting covert investigative (search) actions against minors. During the writing of the article, the following methods were used: dialectics, comparative law, system analysis, and formal logic.