Empowerment and Protection - Stories of Human Security Oct. 2014 | Page 36

Ukraine

The police and the vacuum of state protection

The police were simultaneously the least efficient
government agency and the most in demand as a
security provider. The attitude of Tolyk, a 32-yearold security guard in Kyiv was: “In any case, turn
to the police, it is their job, we pay them taxes and
the taxpayer has the right to protection.” Yet, there
was an apparent paradox in how people related to
authorities as security providers. On the one hand,
police were most frequently cited as necessary
authorities. On the other, respondents did not
express confidence that the police were either likely
or willing to provide for their security needs.

LD BANK 2014A)

DGE)

Yana, a female university student in Kyiv illustrated
this ambivalence: “[In some cases], out of pure
instinct, one goes to the police. But if there is no
one in uniform around, or if you don’t trust them,
you can only count on your own self. When [I was
attacked] there were people around who could
interfere, but no one did. There are situations when
you feel like no one will help you.” Illustrating the
=10.000.000
point further, Ihor said, “When you see people
wearing uniforms, you a priori perceive them as a
[source] of danger. You don’t know what to expect
from them. If a situation doesn’t warrant immediate
action, people usually try to avoid the official route
if they can.”
Against the backdrop of a dysfunctional police,
people mainly relied on their social relations, family,
friends and community for physical protection.
Anatoliy said, “You can try and call the police [but]
this is more like a method to distract attention.
But, generally, it’s good to have a few friends
who could physically come and stand by you.
This is perhaps the best method of protection.”
The inadequacy of the police is further reflected
in the use of private security agencies by larger
corporations and the richer strata of Ukrainians.
The fact that the elite rely on private firms for their
security needs is another indicator of the failure of
the public security sector.

Corruption and nepotism

State institutions often appeared to work more
effectively through personal contacts and
informal relationships, including those established
through bribes. Knowing ‘the right people’ in the
appropriate agency was deemed a more important
resource than the official mandate of the agency in
question. Oxana, a 25-year-old woman who worked
with a transport company in Livoberezhna, Kyiv
36 stories of Human Security | Ukraine

said about the police, “As always is the case with
us, you need to go to a police [officer] you know
personally, and it will be efficient then.” Yevhen
saw it this way: “Both sides [of the legal system]
contribute to the same corruption scheme… one
prosecutor who takes a larger bribe by the lawyer,
turns the case slightly the other way than the
prosecutor who takes a smaller bribe and so on. All
is built on corruption, from top to bottom. There
are no other mechanisms, or any other motivations.”

Misha is a 28-year-old male in Simferopol,
Crimea, who describes himself as an NGO activist
and private entrepreneur.
You feel insecurity when going to all kinds of
authorities, even the passport office. Insecurity
in terms of your rights to receive consultation or
services. I feel insecure in terms of the knowledge
of laws and the ability of influencing the state
authorities. You need to be prepared to make
inquiries, to call, to read the law.

” ll is built on
A
corruption, from top
to bottom. There are
no other mechanisms,
or any other
motivations.”

When you approach [an official] and say that you
have read the law, they immediately start working
and their attitude changes. I had a case recently
with the tax inspection – I read all, learned and
spoke the terms that they know, and they already
started calling me back, it was a different story
then. And when you say, ‘I don’t know’, there are
immediately a lot of unnecessary steps you have to
take – they tell you go buy something, come back
tomorrow. Whenever I say that the law requires that
you should do this within two days, they do it. Most
civil servants do not know the laws themselves,
therefore, they are affected by fear, and they think
you know the truth.

The least protected people in such an environment
were those with the lowest social capital – including
the undereducated, the working class, young
students living independently of their families, and
single elderly persons. The underlying issues were
thus closely related to governance and social justice
issues. Mykhailo, a civic activist in his fourties in
Kyiv said, “Police who want to clear a crime go after
people who resemble somebody, and if they see that
this is not some tough guy, and there is no one who
would stand up for him, they may simply acc W6R